The Iglesia de Santa María la Mayor de la Asunción in Tordesillas is a Catholic church that may stand on the site of a former mosque. Its current structure was replanned at the end of the 16th century in an Escorial style. Consequently, the head of the church and the first two bodies of the tower are of an older style, while the rest of the building follows the Escorial style, with modifications continuing until the 18th century.
The interior features a single nave divided into four sections over arches and pilasters. It is covered with a barrel vault with lunettes, decorated with plasterwork. The church has three entrances, though only the main one on the right is used today, featuring a small stone sculpture. The entrance on the left was reduced in height to accommodate an 18th-century baroque organ, while the entrance at the foot of the church was walled up to provide light for the lower choir.
The square-based tower serves as a lookout point for Tordesillas due to its height. Built between the 16th and 18th centuries, it served as a surveillance base for troops during the Napoleonic invasion. At the top is "el reloj suelto," a clock with bronze allegories of the seasons in its mechanism, which announces the start of festivities in honor of the patrona de la localidad.
The church houses a valuable 1655 altarpiece by Pedro and Juan de la Torre, with a central talla and a camarín that may be the work of Juan Rodríguez. At the foot of the church, the lower choir features noble wood carvings with prayers. In one of the side chapels, the image of the patrona de la localidad is kept during the half of the year when the church serves as the parish seat.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nicolo Ciampini
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