Religion

Parish Church of Santiago Apostol (Saint James)

Romanesque-Mudéjar style, from the eleventh to twelfth centuries, made of masonry with double rows of brick masonry having been in principle an Arab mosque. The main façade at the foot of the temple is decorated in Moorish style with numerous “pointed arches”. On its north side, it has a façade of carved stone in the Plateresque style, which was commissioned to be built by Fray Juan de la Puebla, appreciating therein, carved in stone, the motto of the Sotomayor «TODO ES POCO».

Inside there are frescoes dating from the thirteenth century and later, a coffered ceiling of great beauty and the tombstone of Fray Fernando de Moraga, known as «The second Marco Polo of History». Recently the altar has been decorated with a fresco of iconoclastic style by the Russian painter Boris Lugososkcoy.

Convent of the Visitation

Another great convent complex is erected on the outskirts of the village: that of the Augustinians, formed by a large church and a beautiful cloister: There are remenants of its Plateresque doorway, and inside, the cloister of double archways with granite columns.

Its construction dates back to the sixteenth century. It was abandoned and dismantled at the beginning of the Civil War, which led to its deterioration.

Today, the building is in private hands and on the remains, nest numerous birds, especially storks and a large colony of Lesser Kestrel.

Convent of San Francisco

The Convent of San Francisco began to be built in 1543 by order of Doña Felipa de Sotomayor, aunt of Fray Juan de la Puebla, in honor of his nephew. It was finished in 1553. It is in the Herrera style and has a courtyard before the door which is of unique workmanship and beauty. The name of the convent was founded Santa Maria de la Paz.

The temple has a single nave with a dome and a chapel on each side. It was a place of novitiate of the Order Franciscan of the Province of Santa María de los Ángeles, until he transferred to Guadalupe. With the seizure of Mendizabal, passed into private hands most of the dependencies of the convent, taking advantage to contructprivate dwellings.

Chapel of San Antón

Construction of medieval origin made of masonry.

For years it served as a chapel for the old village cemetery.

Chapel of San Antón

Chapel of San Isidro

It is a religious building of the late twentieth century with a single nave, covered with a wooden roof gable.

It is situated on the outskirts of the village, in “La laguna” («The Lagoon»), where on the 15^th May a procession is held in honor of the saint.

Inside the chapel you can see images of San (Saint) Isidro Labrador and the Virgin Fatima.