Románico Zamora

Church of San Lorenzo El Real

12th century

This temple was built in Mudejar style in the 12th century, and it is believed this is the oldest brick church of Toro.

The church has only one nave and is built on stone. In the head part, there is a semicircular apse and a chancel with two sections. The nave and the head part are decorated with simple and double blind arches, and boxes. The Mudejar-style friezes depart from the verticality of the arches.

The apse involves two levels of misaligned arches and a stone base belonging to the 17th century, which replaced the brick work that cut the arches. Inside, the arches are double, but the top section has simple semicircular arches. In the exterior walls this design reverses.

From the outside you can see three doorways. The southern is the most monumental. Located within a box, it contains a pointed arch and five splayed archivolts, Mudejar-style friezes, and scotias and imposts with scotia section too. Northern and western doorways are simpler and have two archivolts. The northern is totally blind.

The inner side walls have one section of arches, a model that will be followed by other temples in the area.

In the roof of the nave, which was rebuilt in the 17th century, have been preserved beams with corbels and a kind of wooden frieze called “arrocabe” painted in the 15th century.

"El Real". This part of the name of this church seems to be due by the majestic Gothic burial site of the bastard descendants of Pedro I the Cruel, the Castilla-Fonseca.

Inside, there is also a 15th-century altarpiece, a work of Fernando Gallegos, a 16th-century polychrome Moorish choir, a carving of the Virgin of Guadalupe, known as the “Virgen de las Orejas” and remains of paintings in the apse.

It was declared a national monument in 1929.

ADDRESS

Bollos de Hito Square
Toro (Zamora).

To view the entire route from your position to the monument, you can click on the Google icon located on the lower left corner of the map.

OPENING HOURS AND VISITS

The access is free of charge but there are neither visiting hours nor guided tours. 

The temple can be visited only during mass celebrations.

GENERAL INTEREST SERVICES

Tourist office:
- Toro: It is located at 6, Main Square. Tel. +34 980 694 747 

Civil Guard (police with responsibilities outside towns):
- Toro: Tel. +34 980 690 012

Emergency telephone numbers: 112 
- Toro medical center: Tel. +34 980 691 337

Bus station: 
- Toro: Tel. +34 980 693 236

Train station: 
- Toro: Tel. +34 905 551 844

Taxis:
- Toro: Tels. +34 639 421 582 / +34 630 752 526 / +34 607 451 307

Civil defence:
- Toro: Tel. +34 980 690 100