Románico Zamora

Collegiate church of Santa María la Mayor

12th century

It could be built on an ancient Pre-Romanesque temple with the same dedication, during the reign of Ferdinand II of Leon.

The collegiate church is a large temple where it is possible to appreciate different ways of approaching the building, due to several architects worked on it. The first architect, worked on the head part, the bottom of the outer walls and the doorway of the northern facade. Light-grey limestone was used. Remains of outer walls and the covering of the central nave, including the dome, the tower and the western doorway are works of the second architect. In this case was used reddish sandstone. By 1240 was built the western doorway and not long after the doorway called “Portada de la majestad” was. In the following century, the parish of Santo Tomé was placed at the foot of the collegiate church.

The northern doorway is one of the Romanesque-of-Zamora most decorated, as well as the dome that rises over the transept, and shows influences of the cathedrals of Salamanca and Zamora with Mudejar-style elements, though, typical of these places.
It has a Latin plan with three naves of three sections with quarter-sphere vaults at the head part, barrel vaults at the transept, and ribbed vaults in the center. The central one is wider than the side ones, and the three chapels end in the transept. Collegiate plan is equal to that of the Cathedral of Zamora, except that it has four instead of three sections.

The central nave has a pointed barrel vault reinforced by double transverse arches. The aisles are not homogeneous in the vaulting: the first section is covered with cloister vault, and other sections with ribbed vault.

The western doorway, known as “Puerta de la Majestad” what means Majesty Doorway is the jewel of the Collegiate. It has a slightly pointed arch only decorated with geometric and plants motifs.

The southern doorway is attributed to the first master. It consists of a pointed arch with four simple archivolts decorated with simple geometric and plants motifs. The northern doorway is also attributed to the first master, with semicircular arches and four archivolts. It is used for entering the temple and consists of different archivolts decorated with plants and religious ornamentation, among which it is worthy of mention a Righteous Judge Christ surrounded by the 24 elders.

Inside the temple, can be also appreciated the different stages through which its construction took place. The first architect established a plan with cruciform pillars with columns on their faces and on the small elbows which would have been designed as ribbed vaults. The second architect vaulted the central and transept naves with barrel vault on transverse arches.

The capitals of the columns attached to the supports of toral arches are remarkable. Some of them have plant motifs and other have more sculpted scenes as Daniel and the lions.

ADDRESS

5, Colegiata 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

From 1st March until 30th September:
- From Tuesday to Sunday: from 10:30 to 14:00 and from 17:00 to 19:30.
- Closed on Modays.  

From 1st October until 28th February:
- From Tuesday to Sunday: from 10:30 to 14:00 and from 16:30 to 18:30.
- Closed on Modays.

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