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17:00 a 19:00 h
(Actualizado Septiembre 2024)
Contact us for any questions regarding visits to the church of San Salvador de Cantamuda.
The church of San Salvador de Cantamuda is one of the most important example of romanesque art in the north of the province of Palencia (Spain).
Its foundation is attributed to the Countess Elvira Favílaz, wife of the Count Munio Gómez, as is recorded in two documents from 1037 and 1069, preserved in the archives of León Cathedral. In these documents, the countess grants the Diocese of León a large donation of villages and estates, of which, a monastery of San Salvador in Pernía, forms part.
In 1153, Alfonso VII donated the church of San Salvador and the town of Polentinos to the Diocese of Palencia. This donation was ratified in 1181, when the King Alfonso VIII granted the monastery of San Salvador de Campo de Muga to the bishop of Palencia, Raimundo II, together with another properties. It is in this period, at the end of the 12th century, when the building that we can admire today, must have been constructed.
The existence in the church of two romanesque doors, seems to reveal its ancient monasterial character. One of them, under the present portico, was perhaps destined for the members of the clergy and the needs of the monastery; the other, in the wall of the belfry, probably was for the people.
Its later historical importance is reflected in the fact that it was promoted to the rank of collegiate church in 1478, with abbot and canons, and remained so until 1851. The temple currently serves as a parish church.
In 1993, this church was declared Asset of Cultural Interest, with the category of Historical Monument.
The church of San Salvador stands out for its unity and architectural balance, preserving without too many alterations the original Romanesque structure, except for some later additions, such as the southern wall portico, built in the second half of the 16th century; the cylindrical tower on the north side, which gives access to the bells; as well as the reform of the southern apse in modern times, nowadays transformed into a sacristy.
It has a Latin cross plan, with a single nave, transept and three semicircular apses at the chevet, the central one being larger than the two lateral ones.
The walls are made of different sized ashlars, or even masonry, as in the case of some vaults.
The church's location, next to a meadow and with no other buildings around, enhances its beauty and allows viewing it from any angle.
On the outside, the decoration is provided by the cornice corbels with a varied composition, where vegetal or geometric motifs predominate. However, in the north side, there is a corbel with the figure of a friendly bear cub.
The window of the south wall is also noteworthy, typically Romanesque, decorated with diamond points and capitals with interlacing and a human face.
Although undoubtedly, the most striking element is the slender belfry which rises on the west side, with more than 18 meters high, considered one of the most beautiful belfries of the Spanish Romanesque. As a curiosity, the figure of a human face can be seen on one of its columns.
Inside, the harmony is overwhelming, making the church of San Salvador, true art.
The architectural ensemble, of careful and beautiful proportions, invites you to pause in every detail.
The sculptural decoration is generally simple, with stylized and mostly vegetal elements, although there are also some animal figures.
The nave is covered with a pointed barrel vault and a ribbed vault in the transept, with floral ornamentation in the ribs, characteristic of a late Romanesque style.
In the chevet, the central apse conveys a great balance, with four prismatic ribs in the vault, which are supported by columns topped by figurative capitals, including one with a pair of oxen, and next to it another with horses and one snake.
But, undoubtedly, the protagonist inside is the exceptional altar, supported by a beautiful group of romanesque columns, with a varied and delicate ornamentation based on vegetal motifs, interlacing and geometric patterns. The origin of these columns is uncertain, but they could well be a reuse of the old monastery of San Salvador.
The chevet is completed by two lateral apses, smaller than the central apse, each with a small altar, also with decorated columns. The apse on the north side preserves the typical Romanesque structure, while the south apse was rebuilt in modern times and currently contains the sacristy, with part of the ceiling covered with polychrome wood from the Baroque period.
As for religious imagery an interesting Gothic Christ Crucified is conserved (14th century), as well as several carvings of Virgins and Saint Joseph. Presiding over the temple there is a carving of El Salvador (16th century), to whom the church is dedicated.
On the altar of the sacristy, a tabernacle, from the 16th century, shows an image of the Risen Christ with a striking and unusual muscular appearance.
In 1970, while some construction works was being carried out in the area of the presbytery, an ancient tombstone was found, dated between the second half of the 9th century and the first half of the 11th century. It is currently deposited in the north apse, and has a rough decoration of horseshoe arches and geometric fretwork, along with an incomplete inscription in Latin, which translation says the following:
PIOUS SOUL,CREATOR GIVES FORGIVENESS TO THE ONE WHO RESTS IN DEATH. SERVANT OF GOD YOU WILL HAVE WANTED TO WAIT... SUNDAY AT SIX O'CLOCK IN THE EVENING... DIDAGO ABBOT... "
In La Pernía there is a popular legend that tells of the revenge carried out by Count Munio against his wife Doña Elvira.
This curious story has been traditionally linked to the origin of the name of Cantamuda and the church of San Salvador.
