Ronda - Santa Maria la Mayor

Ronda was known to the Romans by the name of Arunda. At the end of the Roman Empire it was taken by the Suebi and later part of the Visigoth realm. In 713 it fell to the Berbers, who built a castle on the Roman foundations. The troops of the Marquis of Cádiz conquered Ronda after a siege in 1485.

The Spanish decreed that all Muslims must either convert to Christianity or leave Spain without their belongings. Muslims who converted were called Moriscos, they had to wear upon their hats a blue crescent. In 1566 Philip II decreed the use of the Arabic language illegal, required that doors open on Fridays to verify that no Muslim Friday prayers were conducted. This led to a rebellion. The Muslim soldiers defeated the Spanish army sent to suppress them. The massacre prompted Phillip II to order the expulsion of all Moriscos in Ronda.

Ronda´s Moorish old town, La Ciudad, is located on a steeply sloping rock plateau. The old town is separated from the younger part, El Mercadillo, by the "Tajo de Ronda" a narrow gorge almost 100 meters deep, formed by the Guadalevín River.

Santa Maria la Mayor in the old town was erected after Ronda was taken b Christian troops under King Ferdinand II. ("Fernando el Católico"). Upto 1485 this was the place of the city´s great mosque. Traces of the mosque can still be seen, eg the bell tower stands on the former minaret. The church has Gothic and Renaissance elements and was originally an abbey church.