Collegiate Church of Santa María

We are about to discover its fascinating history, closely linked to Villafranca and, therefore, to the Camino de Santiago. It was associated first with the Order of Cluny and later with the Marquises of Villafranca, who, over the centuries, left us an imposing building and a rich heritage preserved within its walls. Today, this church serves as the parish church of Our Lady of the Assumption, Nuestra Señora de la Asunción in Spanish.

During its 300 years of existence, the priory experienced both ups and downs, from the holding there of a council for the whole of north-western Spain under the presidency of John Halgren, the Pope’s cardinal legate, to being left with scarcely any religious community and almost no ecclesiastical life.

This latter situation came about in the midst of the 16th century, when Pedro Álvarez de Toledo was Marquess of Villafranca and obtained from the Pope the transformation of the Cluniac monastery into a collegiate church of canons.

Audio tours that may interest you…