Iglesia de Santa María

The church known today as the Cathedral of Saint Mary, Santa María de Mediavilla stands in the old town of Teruel, in Aragon, Spain, and it is the most important of the city’s Mudéjar monuments. Mudéjar is the style created by Muslim craftsmen who continued to work under Christian rulers after the Reconquista, combining Islamic decoration with Christian building forms, and Teruel is among its best-known centres. The church became a cathedral only in the late sixteenth century, when Teruel was made a bishopric, but it has been the city’s main parish church since the Middle Ages. The name Mediavilla refers to the church’s position in the middle of the medieval town.

The bell tower is the signature piece. It is a tall, square Mudéjar tower dating from the thirteenth century, built in brick and decorated with bands of glazed green and white ceramic tiles and with patterns of inset tiles forming geometric designs. The decoration follows the model of Islamic minarets, and it was designed to be seen from the streets and squares below. The city has other towers in similar style, including the Torre del Salvador, and together they form a skyline that you can see from the surrounding hills.

Inside, the nave of the cathedral retains its Gothic proportions, but the great surprise is the timber ceiling. The painted wooden roof in the nave is a rare surviving example of medieval Mudéjar carpentry, decorated with geometric patterns, scenes, coats of arms and figures that give an insight into the life and tastes of the time. A tiled dome, added in the sixteenth century at the crossing, brings Renaissance elements into the building, and later chapels and altarpieces show the changes of taste across the centuries. The cathedral is part of the group of Mudéjar monuments of Aragon that UNESCO has recognised as a World Heritage Site, and it is one of several in Teruel, along with the Iglesia de San Martín and the Torre del Salvador.

The cathedral is a short walk from the city’s central square, Plaza del Torico, and from the Museo de Teruel, so it fits naturally into a walk around the old town. Teruel is also known for the legend of the Lovers of Teruel, whose tombs are in a nearby church.

Opening hours for visits to the interior vary, so check locally before going. A visit usually takes about an hour, and the best views of the tower come from the streets around it, especially in good light.