Iglesia de Santa María de la Asunción, Gothic parish church in Arcos de la Frontera, Spain
The Iglesia de Santa María de la Asunción is a late Gothic church with a neoclassical tower rising above Arcos de la Frontera. High vaulted ceilings and detailed stone carvings create an open, light-filled interior space that dominates the town's skyline.
The church was built between the 15th and 16th centuries on the site of a former mosque. The original tower was damaged in the 1755 earthquake and was later replaced with the neoclassical structure visitors see today.
The main altarpiece, completed in 1617, represents the work of multiple Spanish artists including Pedro Díaz de Palacios and Juan Bautista Vázquez.
Access is straightforward from the main town area, and the interior layout is easy to navigate. Visitors should respect active prayer times and behave appropriately when entering.
The exterior walls are supported by flying buttresses installed in 1699 by Diego Moreno Meléndez to distribute the weight of the stone vaults. This structural solution demonstrates the engineering adjustments made for the building's cliffside location.
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