Colegiata de Santa María la Mayor (Talavera de la Reina)
The collegiate church Colegiata de Santa María la Mayor in the town of Talavera de la Reina in the west of the province of Toledo in the autonomous region of Castile-León belongs to the transition style from the late Gothic to the Renaissance .
location
The church is located about 130 meters from the north bank of the Tajo in the Plaza de Pan in the maze of old town streets of Talavera.
history
Already in 1194 a church is occupied at this place; in 1211 was this - thanks for the promised from the city of army units in the planned for the following year decisive battle between Moors and Christians of Las Navas de Tolosa - of . Alfonso VIII and the Archbishop of Toledo Jiménez de Rada for collegiate levied. In the 15th and 16th centuries, extensive renovations took place on the church - at times also under the direction of the Toledan cathedral architect Maestro Alfonso - at that time the church received its current appearance with a cloister ( claustro ).
architecture
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The three-aisled structure of the church can already be seen from the outside, the aisles of which are spanned by Gothic buttresses that stabilize the walls of the central nave. However, there are no Gothic pinnacles as an abutment for the thrust , but small round towers with a conical roof.
West facade and rose window
The west facade of the church, which is largely made of scarcely hewn quarry stone, is dominated by a projecting central projection , the middle segment arch of which frames the largely unadorned portal garments with the archivolts and a balcony above, with the exception of a few figures on the capitals . The upper half of the west facade is taken up by a square frame in which a highly original late Gothic rose window (around 1470) is inserted, the tracery of which consists of fish bubbles that circle in a star shape around a center point. The mudéjar construction technique of the rose is also extraordinary: its core consists of brick fragments and is clad with stucco . Above the rose window there is a triangular gable field with a central oculus , which is crowned by three obelisks .
tower
The bell tower stands a few meters to the north, separated from the west facade; its undivided square basement is made of roughly hewn rubble stones. The middle floor, built throughout in the Renaissance style and structured by corner and central pilaster strips, shows a masonry association made of precisely hewn stones, which continues on the third floor, in which there are six sound and vibration openings for the bells of the church. The tower ends with a parapet and an octagonal lantern with an eight-part tent roof.
Interior
The interior of the church makes a late Gothic impression - mainly because of its star-shaped rib vaults - but the flat profiles on the pillar corners and on the arches between the central nave and aisles show a clear Renaissance influence. The candle arches are unusual, but they were added later to absorb and absorb inward pressure and thrust forces.
Furnishing
The altar area is separated from the central nave by a wrought iron grille ( reja ); the painting inside the stone reredos shows a depiction of the Assumption of Mary ( asunción ) from the 18th century. In several side chapels there are also paintings, sculptures and ceramic works ( azulejos ) from different centuries.
Cloister
The late Gothic cloister of the monastery adjoins the south side of the church; its inner courtyard is covered with stone slabs - there is a fountain in the middle. The pillars of the capitelless pointed arch arcades are raised by mighty pinnacles.
Web links
- Collegiate Church 'Colegiata de Santa María la Mayor' (Talavera) - Photos + information (Spanish)
- Collegiate Church 'Colegiata de Santa María la Mayor' (Talavera) - video
Coordinates: 39 ° 57 ′ 27 " N , 4 ° 49 ′ 55" W.