Church of San Pedro Apóstol, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain

The Church of San Pedro Apóstol is considered a National Historic-Artistic Monument in Vitoria from the 13th-14th centuries. The temple was attached to the western wall of the medieval town, which is why the walls on the west are very thick. In the central nave the walls form a tower which is visible from the outside of the temple.

Gothic façade dates from the 14th century, accessible from Calle Herrería. The entrance is the opposite way round in this church because the wall used to run along the bottom of the central nave.

References:

vitoria-gasteiz.org

Religious sites in Spain

User Reviews

Toby Cruz Garcia (9 months ago)
I got married in this church on October 13, 1984. This year I will not have anibersario, my husband has died

juana Izquierdo Iriarte (12 months ago)
Because my parents got married in the chapel of La Virgen del Pilar, I did it in the same place, the Church is beautiful as a whole and the pastor is a very dear person.

Stephen Cullinane (2 years ago)
Worth a look if that's what you enjoy.

Mathew Fedley (2 years ago)
Slightly hidden church which costs 0.5 Euro to enter. It's cooler than outside and has some interesting pieces of works

Fermín Vicente (4 years ago)
Beautifully preserved, you won't be disappointed.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Martin M. Miles

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The Abbey of Saint-Etienne, also known as Abbaye aux Hommes ('Men"s Abbey'), is a former monastery dedicated to Saint Stephen (Saint Étienne). It is considered, along with the neighbouring Abbaye aux Dames ('Ladies" Abbey'), to be one of the most notable Romanesque buildings in Normandy. Like all the major abbeys in Normandy, it was Benedictine.

Lanfranc, before being an Archbishop of Canterbury, was abbot of Saint-Etienne. Built in Caen stone during the 11th century, the two semi-completed churches stood for many decades in competition. An important feature added to both churches in about 1120 was the ribbed vault, used for the first time in France. The two abbey churches are considered forerunners of the Gothic architecture. The original Romanesque apse was replaced in 1166 by an early Gothic chevet, complete with rosette windows and flying buttresses. Nine towers and spires were added in the 13th century. The interior vaulting shows a similar progression, beginning with early sexpartite vaulting (using circular ribs) in the nave and progressing to quadipartite vaults (using pointed ribs) in the sanctuary.

The two monasteries were finally donated by William the Conqueror and his wife, Matilda of Flanders, as penalty for their marriage against the Pope"s ruling. William was buried here; Matilda was buried in the Abbaye aux Dames. Unfortunately William"s original tombstone of black marble, the same kind as Matilda"s in the Abbaye aux Dames, was destroyed by the Calvinist iconoclasts in the 16th century and his bones scattered.

As a consequence of the Wars of Religion, the high lantern tower in the middle of the church collapsed and was never rebuilt. The Benedictine abbey was suppressed during the French Revolution and the abbey church became a parish church. From 1804 to 1961, the abbey buildings accommodated a prestigious high school, the Lycée Malherbe. During the Normandy Landings in 1944, inhabitants of Caen found refuge in the church; on the rooftop there was a red cross, made with blood on a sheet, to show that it was a hospital (to avoid bombings).

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