The Iglesia de Santa María in Gumiel de Izán

The Iglesia de Santa María occupies the north side of the Plaza Mayor in Gumiel de Izán, Province of Burgos. The current Gothic building was constructed over a previous one from which a door is preserved on the north side. The facade and staircases are Baroque style.

Inside the three-nave church, the late Gothic retable of the high altar from the early 16th century stands out. It narrates different scenes from the life of Jesus and the Virgin Maria in sculptural groups. The carvings dedicated to the Virgin occupy the central axis of the retable, including the birth, assumption, and coronation. Other figures, such as King David with an unsheathed harp, complete the set. Several chapels complete the complex, notably the Rosario and the Cristo de la Paciencia on the west side.

The vault is a rib vault, and in some of its nodes, the coats of arms of some of its patrons can be seen. In the chapel of San Miguel, the coats of arms of the family of the Marquis of Santillana can also be seen, who was lord of Gumiel for only 6 years. The baptistery is located in a chapel at the back to the left, with a large baptismal pool made of Espejón stone. This pool is decorated with arches housing reliefs of the apostles. The church also houses other interesting altars such as the one of San Pedro (Renaissance), the one of the Virgen del Rosario, and the Cristo de la Paciencia.

In the sacristy, there is a small museum with important pieces such as the Romanesque image known as the Virgen de Tremello, and the Gothic carving of the Cristo de Reveche. The chapel of the Virgen del Rosario also displays a baptismal pool from the now-disappeared hermitage of Santa Marina de Revilla and a collection of Romanesque capitals from the also-disappeared Cistercian convent of San Pedro.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons