So I am on a binge on taken you to seldom seen places of my beloved Spain, after all driving is heaven in Spain ,everything under the Sun! We drove many years around here with wonderful memories of my dear late wife Martine and the boys, always on the road warrior ways to find jewels in the arid lands of Don Quijote! And we arrived in the Province of Cuenca , in the autonomous region of Castilla La Mancha to the nice small town of Arcas del Villar and its wonderful Church of the Nativity of Our Lady. . I like to tell you a bit more on this off the beaten path jewel.
However, for this road warrior, the best to come and see here is the Church or Iglesia de la Natividad de Nuestra Señora. Church of the Nativity of Our Lady. The style is Roman turning into Gothic from the 13C. The exterior has a flat wall annex to the main building with arches to hold three bells and the front door romanique with five arches; the interior there is a nice Chapel dedicated to the Virgin of the Higa (fig) and a Christ.
It is a Romanesque transitional church, from the 13C, from a single nave from which the presbytery is passed through a triumphal arch of half a point. It has a semicircular apse with a Romanesque window in the center and an eave with carved corbels. The entire apse is lined with ashlar stone. Outside there are the belfry, apart but attached, with arches aimed at sheltering three bells and the Romanesque façade with five archivolts also targeted as it corresponds to the transition of both styles. Its decor is austere with bowel , except for the overall nave that has a very simple geometric decoration. The capitals have a vegetal decoration.
Inside, both the nave and the presbytery are covered with coffered ceilings. It got a choir at its lower base, wooden. A side chapel covered by a vault was built in 1623. The image of the Christ and that of the Virgin of the Higa are venerated.
This Church of the Natividad de Nuestra Señora is a rare Romanesque specimen because of its situation quite south of the area of expansion of this style in the Iberian Peninsula.
The city of Arcas on its history: https://www.arcasayuntamiento.es/pueblo/historia
The Castilla La Mancha tourist office on Arcas: http://en.www.turismocastillalamancha.es/patrimonio/arcas-del-villar-63731/descripcion/
There you go folks, another dandy in lovely countryside of my beloved Spain, you need a car to see these beauties and well worth the price. Enjoy the post on Arcas del Villar as I
And remember, happy travels, good health,and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 
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