Santa María La Antigua Facts for Kids

"Santa María la Antigua" redirects here. For the Spanish colony, see Santa María la Antigua del Darién. For the icon namesake of Antigua, see Seville Cathedral.

Quick facts for kids Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Antigua Church of Our Lady of the Antique
View of the church.
Religion
Affiliation	Roman Catholic
District	Valladolid
Status	Active
Location
Location	Valladolid, Province of Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain
Architecture
Architectural style	Isabelline Gothic (Gothic), Renaissance
Completed	1088-1952
Spanish Property of Cultural Interest
Official name: Iglesia de Santa María La Antigua
Type	Monument
Designated	08-05-1897
Reference no.	RI-51-0000077

The Church of Saint Mary the Ancient (Spanish: Santa María La Antigua) is a 12th-century church in Valladolid, central Spain. It was declared Bien de Interés Cultural in 1897.

History

The bell tower.

Under the current building, foundations have been found remains of a Roman hypocaustum . The church was likely founded in 1095 by Count Pedro Ansúrez, although there are no remains of this original structure. The oldest parts of the current temple date to the late 12th century: the gallery on the northern side of the building and the tower, both in Romanesque style. The tower, one of the symbols of Valladolid, has four floors, the upper three featuring windows, and a pyramidal top.

The naves and sanctuary of the church were rebuilt in the 14th century in Gothic style, following the style of Burgos Cathedral. The church has three aisles, with three polygonal apses and a transept. The nave and the aisles are rib-vaulted.

Due to poor design and construction and the increasing size of the parish population, the building underwent successive additions and reparations: in the mid-16th century, architect Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón restored the collapsing building, adding buttresses and several windows.

Also from this period date the high altar retablo, by Juan de Juni (1550-1562; now in the Valladolid Cathedral). Several Baroque altarpieces were executed for the church's interior during the 17th and 18th centuries, hiding the original Gothic appearance.

In the early 20th century the building was extensively restored and rebuilt to show its original Romanesque-Gothic appearance, following the doctrines of the French architect Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc.