The Iglesia de Santa María in Castroponce, Valladolid, is a religious building declared a site of cultural interest on 17-10-2013. The structure combines various construction techniques from different eras, featuring a three-aisle plan separated by pillars topped with semi-circular arches. These aisles are covered with groin vaults, while the central transept features a hemispherical dome and barrel vaults with lunettes on the sides.
A prominent feature of the church is its slender tower, which consists of six bodies. The first five are built with coordinated stone masonry, while the final body is made of finely worked brick. The tower is uniquely positioned, attached to the head of the building as an extension of the presbytery chapel. It sits on a zone of strong north-south upward slope and offers a staggered exterior profile, finished with stone and brick cornices on the last two bodies.
The building is reinforced by buttresses around the entire perimeter due to its slender proportions. These consist of brick on the longitudinal facades and stone at the southern angle of the east facade and near the presbytery. Some buttresses have been restored and rebuilt, while others have been plastered over their entire height. These variations indicate previous deteriorations corrected during successive interventions over time.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nicolo Ciampini
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