The 12th-century church of Nuestra Señora del Valle in Monasterio de Rodilla

Nestled in Monasterio de Rodilla, Burgos, the church of Nuestra Señora del Valle stands on the site of a vanished monastery. Its construction dates to around 1170 during the period when Don Pedro Sánchez was abbot. Although the building cannot be traced back further than the 12th century due to its architectural and decorative characteristics, it represents a very relevant cultural heritage for Castilla y León and is a unique architectural example in the country for its style and characteristics.

The architecture of the area was inspired by San Martín de Frómista. The building is a church of a single narrow nave with high walls, featuring a simple layout that contains the three basic elements of a Romanesque basilica: nave, crucero, and sanctuary. The church was ordered to be built by Don Gonzalo, the son of Count Rodrigo Gómez de Bureba and Doña Elvira, who were protectors of the monastery.

King Alfonso VIII of Castile donated lands to Nuestra Señora del Valle for the souls of himself and his ancestors. The interior is brief, collected, and simple. It presents three sections: the interior apse, the crucero, and the nave. In the crucero, the capitals frequently repeat the themes of the corbels, showing clear remains of polychromy. The main theme is nature, combining vegetable motifs with zoomorphic ones such as a lion with open jaws, an eagle with outstretched wings, and crossing serpents.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons