Ruins of Santa María

Published on 14/10/2014

Cazorla (Sierra de Cazorla)

Monuments, Sierras de Cazorla, Segura y Las Villas Natural Park

In Cazorla, the ruins of Santa María are the legacy of a project for a great church that was never finished.
Although the exact date of construction is unknown, everything suggests the work was carried out during the 16th century.
In a marked Renaissance style, many of its details recall the great master Andrés de Vandelvira, although it may have been one of his disciples who led this great work.
It is the only church in Europe built over a river, the Cerezuelo, whose waters were channelled through a vault.
After the devastating effects of a great storm, and even fires started by Napoleon’s troops during the Peninsular War, today only a doorway, the chancel, the outer walls and one of the west towers survive.

More about this place…

The ruins of Santa María are part of an ambitious project for a great church that was never finished. The work, in a marked Renaissance style, took place during the 16th century and is attributed, though not with complete certainty, to a disciple of the master Andrés de Vandelvira. Among its peculiarities, it is the only church built over a river, the Cerezuelo, which was channelled through a vault running beneath the church and the Plaza de Santa María.