The 17th-century Baroque retablo of gold leaf and plaster

The Iglesia de Santiago is a Roman Catholic parish church located in the Plaza Mayor of Cigales, Valladolid. Known popularly as the Catedral del Vino, the building features a hall plan with three naves of equal height. The central nave is wider, separated by cylindrical pillars on octagonal bases with Attic bases and Tuscan capitals. The head of the church is formed by three semicircular apses.

Construction began in 1535 on the site of a smaller previous temple. The project was carried out in distinct phases. Between 1535 and 1590, Juan de Sarabia worked under the project of Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón to build the apse and the first section of the nave. From 1591 to 1637, Diego de Praves and his son Francisco oversaw the construction of the rest of the naves, the vaults, and the facades of Santiago and San Juan. A final phase between 1768 and 1772 saw the addition of the choir, the south tower, and the western portal.

The exterior is characterized by its monumentality, particularly the main facade in the Herrerian style by Diego de Praves. It features a central body divided into two floors by a large cornice, with a semicircular arch housing an lintelled door on the lower level. Two four-story towers flank the facade, topped with domes and weathervanes. The south portal, also dedicated to Santiago, features high relief sculptures of Santiago Matamoros in a central niche.

Inside, the church houses several significant artworks. The main retablo dates from 1666 and is in the Baroque style, featuring gold leaf and plaster work by Juan de las Puertas from 1683. It contains a high relief of Santiago and sculptures of San Pedro and San Pablo from the workshop of Gregorio Fernández. Other notable works include the Rococo retablo of Santa Marina from 1758 and a Renaissance retablo from the late 16th century in the Capilla de San Juan.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons