Puntos de Interés
Culture
Chapel of San Miguel
The pre-Romanesque chapel of San Miguel is located halfway up the hill towards Gormaz Castle.
It is believed that the construction of the structure may have coincided with the Christian settlement of the area between the late 11th and early 12th centuries.
The building's robust construction is notable for its straightforward design and minimalist exterior. The most striking feature is the belfry, which rises above the roof of the rectangular nave and joins a slightly trapezoidal chancel. It is believed that the building originally had two doors, although only one of them has survived.
It is noteworthy that the temple's main façade was relocated from another chapel that no longer exists. The transplantation was somewhat crude, as evidenced by the portico included, which is sheltered by a semicircular arch with three archivolts and four columns. Only two of the original items remain today.
The interior of the nave is distinguished from the apse by a lintel-shaped opening with a plaster moulding.
In the 1140s, the walls of the chapel were decorated with Romanesque frescoes. The technique employed was a combination of fresco and temple, with the primary colours used being yellow, ochre, red and black. The paint was applied in three superimposed layers, with the lower layer currently missing. This discovery was made possible by the collapse of the stucco covering the interior walls, which artistically links this construction to the hermitages of San Baudelio in Casillas de Berlanga and the Vera Cruz chapel in Maderuelo in Segovia. This is the most interesting example of Romanesque painting in medieval Castile.
Despite a lengthy period of abandonment and the threat of further deterioration, the site was successfully restored and is now home to Romanesque frescoes in excellent condition.