Church Route
On our trip to Antequera we discovered that if there is one thing that stands out in this town, it would be the number of churches. Even if you don’t count the ones that have been abandoned and are in ruins, there are almost 30 churches. Some stand out more than others for their architectural value or internal elements, but each one has some kind of treasure and special charm. You can see the complete list, although we want to point out a few that you should definitely try to see.
The Colegiata de San Sebastián rivals the Colegiata de Santa María la Mayor (which we talk about below) in it’s importance. Its weathervane, known as the “Big Angel” is covered in gold and holds in it’s breast the relics of the patrón of the city. What’s more, this church was about to become the Cathedral due to the importance that it reached in the city. An interesting fact to point out is that the door is found at the “Km 0” of Andalucia.
The Iglesia del Carmen also surprised us with it’s amazing frescos and a beautiful altar, considere done of the best examples of the Spanish baroque style. This is a national monument and we ruskommend that you don’t leave Antequera without seeing it. The Iglesia de San Agustín, the Iglesia de Santiago and the Iglesia de los Remedios (also a national monument) will round out your “Church Route in Antequera.”
The Citadel and Collegiate Church of Santa María la Mayor
The Citadel of Antequera is found inside the old arabic city of Madinat Antaqira surrounded by the Wall that would form the first ring. As we walked through the inside of this fortress, surrounded by the castle and we went inside its towers and rooms, we could understand the importance of it all, and at the same time we really enjoyed ourselves exploring the gardens and constructions that they formed. The Homage Tower (La Torre Homenaje) found behind the Tower Calahorra of Gibraltar is the widest of all the Muslim towers built in Andalucía.
Adjacent to the castle and inside the first ring you will also find the Collegiate Church of Santa María la Mayor, built in the 16th Century. It’s façade is rather imressive and as we enter the building that welcomes us with a huge room dedicated to the religión. The ceilings, the main chapel, it’s huge Windows and adjacent naves show the importance and value that it has for the city. It is considered to be the first columned church of Andalucía and one of the first in Spain. We ruskommend that you take the time to visit these two charming places. You can also find more information on the city of Antequera website.
Dolmens of Antequera
When you visit this complex you are immediately transported through time as you try to comprehend what our ancestors might have been thinking as they constructed such a majestic work. The construction process and its result have been recognized internationally and at the present time it falls into the category of some of the best preserved and most important sites in the world. Although it is lacking in publicity, we urge you not to miss this wonderful dolmen. We detail our visit in this article all about the Dolmens of Antequera.
Torcal de Antequera
Regular readers of EBV Travel Blog already know how impressed we were when we stopped here (you can read more in our articles about Torcal de Antequera). The Karst topography makes it unique and one of the charming places in the province of Málaga in Andalucía. The rock formations and its surroundings, the tranquility of the landscapes and the activities organized by the visitor’s center make this a must-see.
Museum of the City of Antequera
The Museum of the City of Antequera is found in the Plaza of the Coso Viejo, which is right in the middle of town, and personally, I think it is one of the prettiest plazas of the city. The building is the old Palace of Nájera and features 18 rooms situated in four floors and shows us numerous episodes from Prehistory to the Contemporary. Without a doubt what impressed us the most were the rooms where you could find countless memories from prehistoric times and the Roman Antequera. I want to point out the famous sculpture, “Youth of Antequera” and a complete column from the roman period.
In addition to these rooms, the museum shows the trajectory from the medieval Muslim and medieval Christian times, where you can enjoy the remains of ceramics, canvases, paintings, and gothic sculptures. Continuing our historic trip a bit more, I was able to learn more about the Rennaissance and Barroque. The rooms dedicated to religious and sacred art also stand out with their jewels and vestiges of the past in Antequera. Lastly, and maybe the part that I was most impressed by, is the room on the fourth floor dedicated to Cristóbal Toral, who was able to capture reality with amazing definition. A large part of his work feature suitcases as a central aspect, reminding us the imporatnce of travel in our lives.
