Iglesia Mayor Prioral, Gothic basilica in El Puerto de Santa María, Spain.
The Iglesia Mayor Prioral is a Gothic basilica marked by three main entrances: the Door of Forgiveness with Gothic detailing and the southern Sun Portal adorned with Plateresque sculpture. The interior spans a generous layout with soaring vaults and employs sandstone from Sierra de San Cristóbal.
A 13th-century church preceded the present building, begun in 1486 with Alonso Rodríguez as documented architect and opened for worship in 1493. The 1636 earthquake collapsed the main nave, killing two worshippers; Antón Martín Calafate and later Francisco de Guindos rebuilt it from 1647, reusing outer walls and the apse. The rebuilt church was inaugurated in 1671, and Pope Francis raised it to minor basilica in 2014.
The Virgen de los Milagros, patroness of El Puerto de Santa María, is venerated in a 16th-century Baroque altarpiece in her chapel, attributed to the school of Pedro Duque Cornejo. Her image also appears in a niche on the Puerta del Sol, above the castle of San Marcos, the town's coat of arms.
The church sits on Plaza España across from the Municipal Museum and is easily reached on foot. Visitors should check service times as they affect access to the interior, and can make donations through available channels when attending.
In the Chapel of the Shrine stands a silver altarpiece made in 1682 by the silversmith José Medina in San Luis Potosí, Mexico, then part of New Spain. The same chapel lost a 17th-century painting with a silver frame to a theft in 2000. Below the church, walled passages hold niches and clay vessels once used for incense or lime.
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