In the footsteps of Gothic Art in Cantabria: church of the Virgin of the Port

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Moving away from the border with Asturias, marked by the imposing majesty of the Picos de Europa and by the presence, inland, of those precious natural features where the sea runs to meet rivers, such as the Deva and which, due to their shape, receive the name of Tinas -Mayor and Minor- we can benefit from the advantage of driving along the Cantabrian Highway and taking the direction of Bilbao, approaching a coastal city, famous for its salted fish and especially for that 'bocata di cardenale' -as they would say in Italy-, which are anchovies: Santoña.

In Santoña -a city open to progress, but without forgetting its ancient roots and traditions at all- the traveler who loves Art and, in particular, that Gothic Art, whose enigmatic essence consolidated the most spectacular churches and cathedrals in the West at the end of the 12th century, when styles, such as the Romanesque, were in full decline, you may consider it essential to let yourself be carried away by the magnetic charm of another of those temples, inescapably visited by pilgrims who arrive on these rugged coasts, such as the Virgin of the Port.

The importance of this Virgin -possibly, like that of La Barquera, also the name 'del Puerto', is a derivative of the most popular Virgin of the Sea, that of Carmen- is recorded in one of the main avenues of the city, which, located near the port and the bus station, bears his name.

Following the Avenida de la Virgen del Puerto, until you come across the impressive stone mass of its temple, introduces the traveler to that commitment to renewal that we referred to at the beginning, where you have the opportunity to contemplate an essential part of the city , revalued by that modern architecture, where, as a whole, the fantasy displayed in its design also plays an important part, which does not despise classical grandeur at all, but, on the contrary, renews it without obviating that impression of familiarity.

Safeguarding some notable differences, such as the curious elevation of the transept of the nave, the Gothic temple of Santoña bears some similarity with the model of San Vicente de la Barquera and also, as in the case of this one, it seems evident that it is built on another the previous one, in Romanesque style, of which it preserves two portals, adapted to the new style, a detail that could have occurred, with some certainty, at the end of the 12th century or the beginning of the 13th century and of which, in fact, it still conserves inside, a one of the most spectacular baptismal fonts of Spanish Romanesque art.

As is the case with this type of architecture, a walk inside is like entering a metaphorical forest, formed by the monumental pilasters that offer support to vaults displayed in the shape of stars or branches, if you prefer, where light and darkness settle their differences, overwhelming the perceptions of the observer.

Given that, probably, it was the same brotherhood of itinerant stonemasons, whose work seems appreciable throughout the length and breadth of the coast -in this regard, it would be interesting to add the existence of excellent stonemasons from Trasmiera, as well as the probable importation of new techniques and styles, arrived with the influx of pilgrims who were heading either towards Compostela or towards Liébana and Santo Madero, in the heart of the Picos de Europa- it is not strange to find similarities, which, as we increase our visits, they will seem decidedly familiar.

This becomes more evident, perhaps, in the use of those beautiful tracery flourishes, made up of terceletes and warped, which, according to some historians suggest, make it one of the most spectacular in Cantabria.

In short: a walk through Art, which can be complemented with another walk through the port, its restaurants and, if the traveler still wants to continue experimenting, with another walk through the spectacular marshes that make Santoña a place, simply, spectacular.

NOTICE: Both the text and the photographs that accompany it, as well as the video that illustrates it, are my exclusive intellectual property and, therefore, are subject to my Copyright.

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