Parish Church of Santa María la Mayor in Colmenar de Oreja

The formation and development of Colmenar de Oreja during the Middle Ages is closely related to the repopulation of the area. The initial failure of the repopulation process and the new Almohad danger led to Alfonso VIII donating the fortress of Oreja with its terms and villages (among which Colmenar would be found) to the newly created Order of Santiago in 1171, in order to reinforce the Tagus border. The Order, which had its head in the nearby Uclés and Ocaña, constituted in 1174, the Oreja Encomienda, which included the terms of Oreja, Colmenar and Noblejas, thus beginning the Santiago period that would last until 1540, when Carlos I creates in that term two jurisdictional manors: Colmenar de Oreja, which became the property of the Casa de Frías, and Noblejas.

Although there is no unanimity among historians on the urban evolution in that period, the idea prevails that growth by aggregation took place in the small initial nucleus that gave rise to a kidney-shaped form, adapted to the topography. Simultaneously, a second population center was formed on the right bank of the ravine, called "arrabal", with a more open and irregular structure, where in the second third of the XNUMXth century a church dedicated to Our Lady of the Tabernacle and the Palace of the Commander. From the Records of Visits of the Order of Santiago we know that in the fifteenth century there was a wall delimiting the population center located on the left bank of the ravine with twenty towers covered in plaster.

Given the increase in the population of Colmenar, at the beginning of the 1515th century, it was decided to expand the church, beginning the construction of a building whose works would extend throughout the 1554th and early 1608th centuries. Work began in 1621 at the head, according to plans by Cristóbal de Adonza, who would be followed by his son Lorenzo de Adonza; after an interruption of the works, from 1645 the body of naves was continued, probably according to the traces of Martín de la Vaca, who followed a new plan. The portals, tower and decoration of the sacristy were entrusted to Pedro Artadi, following models by Juan de Herrera; Later, two chapels were added to both sides of the transept: the chapel of Bishop Fossano, the work of Juan Bautista Monegro (46-1649), and the chapel of Nuestra Señora del Amparo, according to traces by Fray Lorenzo de San Nicolás (XNUMX/XNUMX- XNUMX).

Throughout the 1629th century, the suburban hamlet spread westward from the primitive urban nucleus, a market square and a bridge were built to facilitate the passage between the two nuclei that made up the hamlet and which were separated by the ravine. . Thus, in 1635, King Felipe IV granted a provision and around 1677 the construction of a brick bridge over said ravine under which the waters would circulate began. Later, it was decided to extend the bridge with another stone bridge and in 1794 what was called "bridge and square" began. The work, which was completed in 1792, consisted of a large quarry tunnel and earthwork, which formed a large flat area on which the Pósito buildings (1798), the blocks of houses on the east sides , north and south and the Town Hall (XNUMX) to form one of the most original squares in the Madrid region.

During this 1636th century, the second convent was built in the town. Don Diego de Cárdenas founded the convent of the Incarnation of Agustinas Recoletas, as stipulated by a will dated 1636; the traces were made by Fray Lorenzo de San Nicolás between 1639 and 1687, in 1688 the church was blessed and in 1836 the nuns entered; the monastery complex was located to the north of the town. With the ecclesiastical confiscation undertaken in XNUMX by Mendizábal, the Convent of the Agustinas Recoletas lost part of its properties while that of the Franciscans passed into private hands. The orchards of the latter were parceled out and these, together with the land on the outskirts, were used for the settlement of the industry that, during these years, played a fundamental role in the local economy.

The church of Colmenar de Oreja is one of the most important religious buildings of the XNUMXth century in the Community of Madrid; a period considered one of the most brilliant in Castilian religious architecture, with its own unique characteristics, where traditional Gothic coexists with new contributions and Renaissance ideas.

Through the archaeological excavations and the existing documentation in the National Historical Archive and in the Municipal Archive, it is possible to determine both the existence of a primitive temple from the XNUMXth century, as well as the masters who intervened throughout the XNUMXth century and part of the XNUMXth. in its three construction stages. Construction began with a church typology characteristic of the late fifteenth century, consisting of a nave with lateral chapels following the model of San Juan de Los Reyes in Toledo, Santo Tomás in Ávila or the Royal Chapel of Granada, to continue with another new type formed by a body with three naves at the same height, the so-called church-hall, which represents an important change in the spatial and structural concept, which gives rise to a monumental building with greater capacity, in response to the needs and new ideas of the moment.

The head and transept would correspond to the first construction phase, executed between 1515 and 1554, according to plans by Cristóbal de Adonza (+1530), who started it, continuing his son Lorenzo de Adonza (+1554) from 1529, in late Gothic style. . The body of ships would belong to the second stage, according to traces and Martín de la Vaca, modifying the initial plan. It was carried out between 1554 and 1597, when the works were stopped due to the lack of the roofs, the sacristy and the facades. In a third stage, from 1597 to 1615, the roofs of the body of naves, the three portals, the sacristy and the tower, built by Pedro de Artudi in Herrerian style, would be carried out.

Later, the chapel of Bishop Fossano was added, according to plans by Juan Bautista Monegro between 1608 and 1621, and the chapel of Nuestra Señora del Amparo, designed by the Augustinian architect Fray Lorenzo de San Nicolás, which began around 1645, ending in 1649. The chapel housed an altarpiece dedicated to Our Lady of Amparo, also designed by Fray Lorenzo, who has since disappeared. The grille that closes the chapel was made by the Madrid master Antonio de la Vega between 1647 and 1649.

In the year 1691 a choir was built at the foot of the temple, designed by Pedro de Ávila, master of architecture. The walnut chairs had twenty-four seats and a main chair. In 1720 an organ was installed, made by the Toledo master José Manuel Colmenero, and in 1750 a wrought iron grille was placed. The choir was destroyed in 1936.

In 1897 the church was decorated with paintings by the painter Ulpiano Checa (1860-1916), a resident of Colmenar de Oreja. On the walls of the main chapel is represented the Annunciation, on the gospel side, and the presentation in the temple, on the epistle side. At the foot of the church is the figure of San Cristóbal, painted in 1901.

Download ► el DECREE 14/2020, of February 4, of the Governing Council, by which the parish church of Santa María la Mayor in Colmenar de Oreja (Madrid) is declared an Asset of Cultural Interest, in the category of Monument.