CHURCH OF SAN MARCOS
30 minutesInside, it features three naves with semicircular apses, while externally it adopts a completely circular plan that does not reflect its internal organization, making it an exceptional case within Romanesque architecture.
The temple is built of sandstone, where numerous stonemason's marks are preserved. Under the eaves, corbels decorated with plant motifs, human figures, animals, and symbols like the fleur-de-lis stand out.
Inside, the restoration carried out in 1967 brought to light a valuable collection of historical elements: two Romanesque altar tables, a wooden Gothic Christ found under the north apse, and 14th-century mural paintings depicting scenes of Saint Christopher, the Annunciation, and the Coronation of the Virgin, which significantly enrich the artistic and historical value of the temple.
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In the 14th century, the temple was transformed into a Royal Chapel, dependent on the Crown of Castile and León, and was renamed the Royal Clergy of San Marcos. This institution maintained its headquarters there until the 18th century, when, after the expulsion of the Jesuits, Charles III granted it the church of the Holy Spirit, which thenceforth came to be called La Clerecía. Masses and offices for the kings of Spain continued to be celebrated there.
With the parochial reorganization carried out at the end of the 19th century, San Marcos was suppressed as a parish, becoming dependent on the church of Nuestra Señora del Carmen. It was then designated as a parochial and catechetical center for the mother church. In 1907, the sacristy and the late 16th-century portico that protected its southern entrance were demolished.
The demographic growth of the mid-20th century spurred urban expansion to the north of the city, which favored the church of San Marcos regaining its status as a parish in 1968, after a careful restoration.
The church of San Marcos is one of the most unique temples of Spanish Romanesque architecture due to its extraordinary combination of a circular exterior plan and a basilical interior. It is built with solid ashlar sandstone masonry, where numerous stonemason's marks can still be distinguished. The main access is through the southern portal, composed of three plain pointed archivolts. Above them, a shield with the coat of arms of the House of Austria and the Order of the Golden Fleece stands out, also repeated in the chancel. The bell gable, crowned by the Lion of Saint Mark, is an 18th-century addition.
The interior is truly surprising, as it consists of three naves with their corresponding semicircular apses that are not reflected on the exterior. This contradiction between a circular exterior and a basilical interior makes it a unique case in European medieval architecture. The apses are covered with oven vaults and the presbytery sections with barrel vaults. The naves are separated by thick columns with plain polygonal imposts that support seven pointed arches, upon which the wooden roofs rest. The central section preserves a 15th-century king post truss coffered ceiling.
The restoration carried out in the 1960s brought to light artistic elements of great interest, among which the following stand out:
• Two Romanesque altar tables with their Romanesque columns and capitals. • A 14th-century wooden Christ found beneath the slabs of the Gospel apse. • Various tempera mural paintings, also datable to the mid-14th century:
- On the walls of the central apse, the scene of the Annunciation is depicted.
- In the Epistle apse, the Coronation of the Virgin was represented.
- Next to the north door, another mural with a monumental figure of Saint Christopher was discovered.
- Above the same door, a mural simulating a tapestry decorated with floral motifs is preserved.
Throughout the temple, images and reliefs carved in wood can be seen. The most notable piece is a 13th-century Romanesque Virgin from the parish of Valdemierque.