Aranda de Duero - Santa María la Real

Aranda de Duero, a city with a population of about 33,000, is the capital of the Ribera del Duero wine region.

The church was built on a previous church in the Romanesque style. It is believed that work began in 1439. Since a council was held in the small church of San Juan in 1473, it is assumed that the church of Santa María was not yet completed. It was completed in 1503, but the Gothic facade from the 16th century was still missing.

The impressive Gothic facade was built by, among others, Simón de Colonia and completed in 1615 by his son Francisco de Colonia. It shows the wealth and importance that the city had back then.

The tympanum shows the Nativity / birth of Christ on the left side and the Epiphany/Adoration of the Magi on the right side. It's faded, but still polychrome.