The monastic ensemble of Santa María

The monastic ensemble of Santa María de Melque dates back to the Visigoth era. The site comprises fortifications, several doors, and five dams. The site was important both agriculturally and geostrategically (it is, in fact, located in a frontier zone). The monumental ensemble initially consisted of a large monastery with several storeys and a late Roman basilica. After the Muslim conquest of the peninsula, monastic activities continued; a prosperous Monzarabic community[1] lived around Toledo, as attested by the vestiges of major buildings. After the expulsion of the muwalladūn[2] (Muladis) in 852, the Mozarabs formed the majority of the population in the region of Toledo.

After the disappearance of this community, the monastery was fortified and the tower on the church’s dome still remains. From 1085, when Toledo was conquered by king Alfonso VI of Castile and until the end of the Middle Ages, this place of worship returned to its original function, but retained its defensive aspects. The anthropomorphic sarcophagi and vestiges of the ‘barbacane’ dating between the twelfth and fifteenth centuries belong to this period. The site then became a rural hermitage for pilgrims; during the nineteenth century, after the desamortización[3] of Mendizábal, the building was used for agricultural work and the storage of farming implements, straw, and livestock. This agricultural activity enabled the site to be self-sufficient until the province acquired it in 1960.

The geographic location of this Visigothic church—whose form has pre-Mozarabic or proto-Mozarabic elements—would have made it an important centre for disseminating the arts. Its cruciform plan terminates in the east with a horseshoe apse, which is wider at altar level. It comprises a central apse flanked by two rooms that predate its construction, as well as porticos with three openings. In its northern extremity, the nave is extended to the west by a funerary chapel, which was possibly intended to contain the sarcophagus of the church’s founder, based on the one in the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia in Ravenna (Italy). Outside, was surrounded by a Visigothic monastic necropolis and by anthropomorphic sarcophagi. The plan and elevation are Byzantine and eastern, and reminiscent of Christianity’s first architectural expressions, similar to buildings in Syria or Jordan. Its vaults are a reflection of first- and second-century Roman constructions.

The ensemble is made from granite ashlar of large dimensions, probably of Roman origins, similar to the stone used on the aqueduct of Segovia. The church’s vaults rest on horseshoe arches. The central arches sit on semicircular pillars in the corners of the walls, which terminate with semicircular ashlar on the exterior. The horseshoe arches lighten the sobriety and compact appearance of these large blocks of stone. The interior stucco, the remains of which can be seen on the main arches at the crossing of the transept, is decorated with representations of simple leaves, and adorned with marble fragments from claustra.

This monumental ensemble’s identity is defined by a combination of Roman, Visigoth, and eastern heritages—the result of this mix gives the building an almost enigmatic style that makes it quite unique.

[2] Spanish Christians who converted to Islam.

[3] The Desamortización (disentailment) was a long process that consisted of selling off non-productive ‘mortmain’ land and possessions.