Collegiate Church of Santa María la Mayor
Chapter 3/9 · Salas
This is the Collegiate Church of Santa María la Mayor, the great church of Salas. It was promoted by Fernando de Valdés-Salas, as the stone in the porch recalls, and built around the middle of the 16th century, between Gothic and Renaissance; later the bell tower, the north porch and two chapels were added. Look at the north doorway, with its pointed arch and the founder's coat of arms above it. It has been a listed monument since 1958 and, since 1896, the parish church of the town.
Inside is the jewel of Salas: the archbishop's alabaster tomb, carved between 1576 and 1582 by the workshop of Pompeo Leoni, an Italian sculptor in the service of Philip II. The archbishop is shown at prayer between Charity and Hope; above, Faith triumphs over Heresy, accompanied by Prudence, Justice, Temperance and Fortitude. On either side of the high altar are the tombs of his parents.
The main altarpiece, from 1606, is attributed to Juan de Ducete, and in the Malleza chapel, on the south side, there is a Baroque altarpiece from the mid-17th century by the Asturian master Luis Fernández de la Vega.
We carry on along Calle de San Roque to its chapel.
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