San Pedro de la Mata, Visigothic church ruins in Sonseca, Spain
San Pedro de la Mata are the remains of a church standing in the countryside near Casalgordo, with granite foundations, stone walls, and several surviving arches. The site displays a rectangular floor plan with side chambers and a transept arranged in a Latin cross shape.
The church was built in the late 6th to early 8th century, during the Visigothic Kingdom of Toledo, before Muslim conquest reshaped the peninsula. It stands as one of the rare surviving structures from this early medieval period.
The name San Pedro refers to the apostle Peter, and the ruins display the transition from Visigothic to Mozarabic influence in medieval religious architecture across the peninsula. Visitors can see these historical layers reflected in the surviving stone work and arches.
The site is accessible via a dirt road starting west of Casalgordo church and sits in open countryside. Information and artifacts are displayed at the Visigothic Museum in Arisgotas, which you can visit separately to learn more about this period.
The granite platform foundation has remained remarkably intact, revealing how the church was originally laid out. This base allows archaeologists and visitors to understand the exact structure and dimensions of the building from this distant period.
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