San Salvador de Cantamuda Collegiate Church

The collegiate church of San Salvador sits on the edge of San Salvador de Cantamuda, in the municipality of La Pernía, alone among meadows. That isolation is the point: nothing blocks the view, so you can take it in from every side.

It is laid out as a Latin cross with a single nave and a transept. The east end has three semicircular apses, the central one much larger than the other two. The walls are thick and the decoration restrained; look up at the nave cornice, which rests on carved corbels.

The real draw is the bell gable, very tall and built at the west end so that it forms a single block with the façade. It has two tiers of paired bell openings, round arches on slender columns with carved capitals, and finishes in a triangular top. It is regarded as one of the most beautiful in Spanish Romanesque.

There are two doorways, one with plain arches and one with pointed arches; the main one is sheltered by a modern porch. Today it serves as the village parish church.

If you want to see inside, check first with La Pernía town hall or the tourist office, as we have not found official published opening hours.