Church of Santa María la Blanca, Villalcázar de Sirga, Palencia, Spain.

© Juan Enrique del Barrio/Shutterstock

Iglesia de Santa María La Blanca

Top choice in Castilla y León


This extraordinary fortress-church, an important landmark along the Camino de Santiago, rises up from the Castilian plains between Frómista and Carrión de los Condes along the quiet P980. Begun in the 12th century and finished in the 14th, it spans both Romanesque and Gothic styles. Its soaring, elaborately carved portal is worth lingering over, while highlights inside include the royal tombs and an extravagant retablo mayor (altarpiece).


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