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Church of San Marcos

Parish church of Romanesque origin next to the Puerta de Zamora, outside the historic centre. Its most striking feature is its circular plan, about 18 metres in diameter, with very thick stone walls reinforced on the outside by semicircular buttresses; inside, the space is organised into three naves with their three apses built into the circle. On a visit you can see the plain capitals of the cylindrical pillars, the sturdy sandstone ashlar arches and the roof remodelled in the Gothic period. The church keeps medieval wall paintings, including the Annunciation in the central apse and the figure of St Christopher by the north door, as well as two Romanesque altar slabs, a polychrome carving of St Mark, the Cristo del Castillo and a relief of the calling of St Andrew. Outside, the coats of arms of the House of Austria on the portals stand out.

Things to do at Church of San Marcos: 7 missions

• Examine the relief of the calling of St AndrewExamine the relief of the calling of Saint Andrew, acquired in 1968 and made in the second half of the 17th century.
• Examine the decorative tapestryExamine the decorative tapestry, made up of non-figurative elements arranged in a rectangle.
• See the two altar tablesLook at the two Romanesque altar tables, the most striking feature of the church and the main symbol of the liturgy.
• Take in The Christ of the CastleSee El Cristo del Castillo, a fragment of a carved crucified Christ discovered in 1967.
• See St MarkLook at Saint Mark, resting on a prismatic stone column reused as a pedestal.
• Take in Saint ChristopherSee Saint Christopher beside the north-side door, in a large rectangle with the figure of the saint and three vertical panels.
• See The AnnunciationLook at the Annunciation in the central apse, painted on both sides in a composition of facing figures.

Near Church of San Marcos

Source: sanmarcossalamanca.org