Church of Santiago

The Church of Santiago Apóstol in Ciudad Real is a late Romanesque and early Gothic religious building from the late 13th and early 14th centuries. It has been declared an Asset of Cultural Interest since 1982.

The Central Nave of the Church of Santiago in Ciudad Real preserves a Mudejar coffered ceiling of Almohad tradition and polychrome wood in orpiment yellow under varnish, built between the end of the 14th century and the beginning of the 15th century, it has dimensions of 23.87 meters by 6 .18 meters. It is decorated with lacework and octagonal stars with lobed flowers made with silver leaf. Also decorative are the thirty-two polychrome dogs with heraldic shields and the arrocabe as a frieze with a series of heraldic shields and shells of Santiago in human form.

This church is dedicated to James the Elder (Santiago), who is probably (besides Peter and Paul) the most prominent apostle and national saint of Spain. The European network of Ways of Saint James, usually marked by the symbol of the yellow shell on a blue background, leads pilgrims to his tomb. This is in the Galician 'Santiago de Compostella', where he rests in a magnificent basilica built in his honor.
The martyrdom (execution) of James is handed down by the evangelist Luke in the New Testament "Acts of the Apostles". The feast day of Saint James in the calendar of saints is July 25th.