San Martín de Tours de Frómista

The church of San Martín de Tours de Frómista in Frómista, province of Palencia, Spain, has been built in the 11th century in Romanesque style. It is located on the Way of St. James to Santiago de Compostella.HistoryThe construction of the church was begun in the second half of the 11th century by will of queen Muniadona of Castile, as part of a monastery, which has disappeared. The church is mentioned for the first time in 1066, and is stylistically connected to other Romanesque edifices in the province, such as the Cathedral of Jaca.In 1118 it was assigned to the Benedictine priory of San Zoilo at Carrión de los Condes. The monks abandoned the site in the 13th century, giving it to Don Juan Gómez de Manzanedo. During several changes of ownership in the following centuries, the church received several additions in the 15th century: a bell tower over the original dome, and a sacristy. After the Middle Ages it started to decay, and in the 19th century it was declared no longer fit for use as a church. In 1894 it was declared a National Monument and a restoration was started. This brought the church back to its original state, removing numerous later additions. The church was reopened to the public in 1904.DescriptionSan Martín has a typical Romanesque exterior. The three-level façade shows the differing height of the nave and aisles of the interior; at the sides are two cylindrical bell towers. The transept is as high as the central nave. Horizontally, it does not exceed the aisles. In the crossing, the interior extends upward into an octagonal dome. The nave and the aisle, covered with barrel vaults, end with three apses.