The Church of Saint Thomas Cantuariense of Salamanca !!!

Posted in Europe, Spain

We were back to my dear Spain again !! love it !! We came by car of course and took time to see new areas and old repeat with some of them as introduction to my sons and our dog Rex ! I rented a small house in a off the beaten path country town that was just perfect ! I like to continue the saga of our new road warrior experiences even if now with less in our family, This post is on my latest road warrior tour of wonderful sublime Spain.  Therefore, let me tell you about the Church of Saint Thomas Cantuariense of Salamanca !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I.

Salamanca ch san tomas casteriense front door dec24

The City of Salamanca is capital of the province of Salamanca located in the Autonomous Community of Castilla y León, and in the kingdom of Spain. In 1988, the Old City was declared a World Heritage for UNESCO, The City is located 109 km from Ávila, 121 km from Valladolid, 123 km from Portugal and 214 km from Madrid.

The Church of Saint Thomas Cantuariense is a late Romanesque church of the 12C, built in honor of Santo Tomás Becket, archbishop of Canterbury, which was martyred in 1170 and canonized by Pope Alexander III two years later, It consists of three apesides and a ship with a wooden cover. Parish form with San Pablo, governed by the Brotherhood of Diocesan Operating Priests. It was founded in 1175 by the English brothers Ricardo and Randulfo, being the first, outside England, which is dedicated to the primacy of England Tomas Beckett, bishop of Canterbury, just three years after the canonization of the British saint in 1172 and at five years of his death by martyrdom in 1170. These brothers were documented canons and magistrates in the Salamanca chapter between 1179 and 1190.

Salamanca ch san tomas casteriense belltower dec24

The Church of Santo Tomás Cantuariense is on the eastern side of the city, in what in repopulative times was the territory of the Portuguese, very close to the wall and the door of the same name. In this territory, repopulators from Portugal and Braganza were installed
In 1170 the martyrdom of Santo Tomás Becket occurs, he is killed within his own cathedral. In the same year, Leonor Plantagenet, daughter of Enrique II of England, married Alfonso VIII of Castile. This causes the Cantuarian cult to move to the Iberian Peninsula, especially driven by Queen Leonor.

The Church of Santo Tomás Cantuariense is done Latin cross and a single nave covered with the cover on the northern facade, it has arquivolts pointed out on sculpted columns, added in the 16C and the interior surprises with its absolute absence of ornamentation, although there are some capitals of special relevance, remembering the sculpture of the 12C. In the header, we find a tabernacle of the 15C of the Hispano -Flamenco style. Some very expressive and carved angels appear, formerly polychrome. These support the elements of passion (the whip, the three nails and the crown of thorns), implying that Christ is alive and present among us through the bread of the Eucharist, an element that is stored in this tabernacle, next to the altar, on the side of the apse, there is a crucified Christ of the 16C, in a Hispanic and very expressive style, which moves us to pain and passion, the altarpiece contains a table of the Virgin with the child. This is the Virgin of Consolation, a painting of the 16C. It represents the Virgin Mary by collecting people who are tired, for the suffering of life, offering their son as a consolation. It holds Christ and with the other a basket of fruits, choosing two cherries, a red fruit that tells us about the path that Christ chooses to comfort us, that of passion.

The City of Salamanca on its history : https://aytosalamanca.es/w/historia

The Salamanca tourist office on its religious buildings: https://salamanca.es/es/fondo-armario/cultura-y-patrimonio/iglesias-y-conventos

The Diocese of Salamanca on the Church Santo Tomàs Cantuariense: https://www.diocesisdesalamanca.com/noticias/el-templo-salmantino-de-tomas-becket/

The Castilla y Léon regional tourist office on the Church Santo Tomàs Cantuarienes:https://www.turismocastillayleon.com/en/heritage-culture/churches-chapels/church-santo-tomas-cantuariense-29cf6

The Unesco world heritage site on old town Salamanca: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/381/

There you go folks , another wonderful nostalgic, sentimental trip to my dear Spain, Do not know when we will be back, we sure will have this trip in our hearts forever, Again, hope you enjoy this post on the Church of Saint Thomas Cantuariense of Salamanca !!! as I

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!

Unknown's avatar

Published by pedmar10

I am a lover of travels to Europe , Americas , Africa and Asia as well ,who like to share my experiences of the last 53 years with the world, visiting so far 81 countries; living in 6, working in 5, and Citizen of 4, speaking fluently 4 languages. I can deal with sports especially football/soccer and love music, arts, wine collector/drinker, and go out to restaurants, and just visit the world. My background comes all the way from Candelaria and Pajara in Tenerife, Spain where my grandparents came from ;not knowing each other then, to Punta Brava, west of Havana, Cuba. There , my parents born in Cuba met and later on I was born there too. 100% guanche (annexed Tenerife to Spain on April 10 ,1496). I left Cuba as many have to Madrid, Spain where I lived for 4 years. Then, move to Perth Amboy ,New Jersey USA (living there 13 yrs) ; where I completed high school, became a US Citizen, learned to drive a car, and learned English. Afterward, went to the university in Florida, ERAU, and upon graduation decided to moved there to Ormond by the Sea, near Daytona Beach, finally moving North Miami, then Hialeah, then another moved to Silver Lakes division in Miramar, Broward county, Florida; in Florida I lived a total of 18 years. Finally , moved to France in 2003 ,Versailles call me for its royalty, and working in Paris was great. It was time to seek frontiers again and moved to Brech near Auray, Morbihan in Brittany , and later move to not too far Pluvigner. Total so far in France has been 20 years, and counting. Moving average a home every 5.5 years hopefully this will be my last. Cheers All rights reserved. No part of this blog may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means or stored in a retrieval system of any nature, without the written permission of the copyright holder, me. No part of this work may be modified, without the written permission of the holder, me.No part of this work may be exposed to public view in any form or by any means, without identifying the holder as the author, and with the before mentioned permission.

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.