Pedreña

Pedreña is a village in the municipality of Marina de Cudeyo, Cantabria, northern Spain. As of 2010, its population was 1,454.Although located from Santander by road, it lies on a peninsula only about across the bay from Santander, separated from land to the east by the mouth of the Miera River. Pedreña and other parts of Santander Bay can be reached by boats which leave from Santander at regular intervals.The most famous son of Pedreña is golfer Seve Ballesteros (1957–2011); the main avenue in the village is named after him.HistoryPedreña Cemetery is located in the ruins of the ancient parish church. The church was under the patronage of San Pedro de Ambojo. This name appears in several documents to refer to the current location of Pedreña. This medieval church is dated to the 14th or 15th century. During the Spanish Civil War the church was destroyed and left as a ruin. The golf course, Real Golf de Pedreña, lies on the coast to the east of the village and opened in 1928 with fine views of the bay of Santander.In 1983, during development works, several slab tombs revealed a collection of some 72 silver medieval coins, which have been dated between the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries. This important "hoard" is preserved in the Regional Museum of Prehistory and Archaeology and the cemetery was declared a site of Cultural Interest in 2002.The present parish church, Iglesia de San Pedro was built in 1950s and its construction attempted to revive elements of traditional religious architecture in the area. The work of the church belongs to the artist and painter Santander Fernando Calderon, inspired by Byzantine frescoes.