Santillana del Mar

Santillana del Mar

Santillana del Mar

This region has a long history, and the famous prehistoric cave, Altamira Cave, is located only a mile away, in the suburbs of Santillana. It has some of the most important examples of prehistoric art in the world, and they are among the best preserved of known cave paintings. It is estimated that they are about 15,000 years old. However, you can see these beautiful, colorful wall paintings of such animals as horses and deer in the cave even today.

Santillana del Mar itself is probably the best preserved medieval town in Spain, and the area is a National Monument. The village still preserves several buildings that are hundreds of years old. These buildings look today as they did when noblemen lived in them several centuries ago.

The name came from the town's patron saint, Santa Illana (Santa Juliana) Her remains moved here, probably in the sixth century, and the place came to be called Asturias de Santillana In the eleventh century, the monastery dedicated to her memory became a Collegiate Church, whose twelfth-century buildings we can see today.

The town itself is a museum and we can see the facades of several centuries-old buildings with coats of arms carved in the stone of their facades. Those old buildings, with their honey brown walls and red tile roofs, seen against the background of the green countryside, give us the feeling of going back to the fifteenth century.

the Collegiate Church

Probably the most important building in this town is the Collegiate Church. Since the taking of photos was not allowed, I unfortunately cannot show you the interior. The church has a beautiful interior and an especially fine cloister. In the center of the church is the tomb of Santa Juliana, with her statue reclining on top of it. The screen behind the high alter is very impressive, has paintings and carvings of the life of Christ, the life of Santa Juliana, and some of Christ's followers.

When the remains of Santa Juliana were moved to Spain, probably in the sixth century, a monastery was built to honor her and house the remains. In the eleventh century, the Collegiate Church was dedicated to her memory. The current building was built in the twelfth century and is the oldest building in town. It is a Romanesque building.

Don Borja's Tower

El Merino Tower

The main square of the town is the Plaza de Ramon Pelayo, or the Plaza Mayor, where Don Borja's Tower and El Merino Tower are located. Both buildings have squat three-story towers, flanked one each side by two-story wings. The former was a mansion built in the fifteenth century and has been the home of a number of noble families. It is now a museum. The latter is one of the most representative buildings of the town, second only to the Collegiate Church. It was built in the fourteenth century, and living quarters were added in the eighteenth century. Today it houses the Museum of Contemporary Art.

You can see the Town Hall, with its balconies full of flowers, and other historic buildings around the plaza.

the house and arms of the Hombrones

The house and arms of the Hombrones is one of the most popular houses in Santillana del Mar. It belongs to the Villa family. Carved above the main entrance are two colossal warriors holding the coat of arms of the Villa family. It is a spread eagle with the motto of the family, "Una buena muerte honora toda la vida" ("A good death gives honor to a whole life"), surrounding it.

I visited four museums in the town and saw many artifacts of the medieval times. However, for me the town itself was the museum. In fact, it has been called a "museum of architecture." Its streets and buildings look very old, and I really felt like I went back to the fifteenth or sixteenth century. What visitors probably enjoy most is taking in the atmosphere of the town itself as they walk through the narrow streets. There are many tourists in town in the daytime.

former residence of the Marquis of Santillana

drawing room

In Spain, there are a type of hotel called "paradors," which are old houses, palaces, and even castles that are run by the government as hotels. Santillana has the Parador Gil Blas, named after a character in a novel set in Santillana.

lounge

Since the Parador was closed for remodeling, I stayed at the former residence of the Marquis of Santillana which is about 500 years old.

lounge

The drawing room right inside the entrance was a beautiful room decorated with old paintings. The lounge was very small but beautifully decorated.

hall

The hall and the staircase were classic and nice.

My room was just above the entrance on the second floor. The room was very large and had a big double, a desk, chairs, etc. Even the bathroom was larger than a room at home.

The windows had a glass window and a thick shutters of wood and iron. I understand why these houses are called fortified houses.

Noble people came here since Muslims occupied southern territories of Spain. They built houses that were fortified like this one to protect themselves.

Since I woke up early, I walked around in town. It was really nice to see it without tourists. I could imagine how noble people lived here, and how some literary people worked on their writings here a long time ago. In one of his novels, Jean-Paul Satre has one of his characters describe Santillana as "the most beautiful village in Spain." He surely must be right.

dining room

I had breakfast in the dining room of my hotel. In this building, even the dining room is beautifully furnished, and has paintings on the walls.

dining room

Santillana del Mar is a very small town, and you can see it within a hour, or including the museums, in a couple of hours. However, staying in a medieval house makes it much more interesting to visit this town.