Iglesia de San Mateo de Logrosán | Sitios Culturales en el Geoparque VIJ

The Church of San Mateo de Logrosán is one of the best examples of Gothic religious architecture of the Villuercas-Ibores-Jara Global Geopark of the UNESCO. This is so to such an extent that if Villuercas Gothic ever became an architectural style this would be one of its archetypes. As in most churches of any age its current appearance is the result of successive alterations and additions throughout history. Far from making them of less value, this makes these buildings witnesses to the evolution of cultural trends.

The Church of San Mateo, dedicated to the apostle and evangelist Saint Matthew, is the most noteworthy historical artistic building of Logrosán. Its date of construction is estimated as between the late 15th century and the early 16th century. It is Gothic in style although it also has Renaissance elements. The building has two well differentiated parts: the older, which makes up most of the church, and the more modern which consists of the main chapel, the section adjacent to it, and the vestry. The latter were built in the 16th century and are Renaissance in style.

It has a rectangular ground plan of considerable size, being divided into three naves. As is usual in this style of churches, the central nave is wider and higher than the two side ones. Robust pillars with a cruciform cross-section separate the three naves, and on these rise transverse pointed arches (built-in to the barrel vault) and side arches (parallel to the longitudinal axis of the nave). The result of the layout of these pillars is the division of the central nave into square sections and the division of the side naves into rectangles. The spaces are covered in their turn by groin vaults. At the end of the three naves stands the false transept with typically Gothic barrel vaults. A magnificent triumphal arch with a vault in the shape of a scallop shell acts as a separation between the transept and the remainder of the church. As a curious detail it can be mentioned that on the keystone (the last which is laid and which guarantees the solidity of the structure) is sculptured the face of San Mateo.

The vestry, which is situated alongside the main chapel, also has barrel vaults. From the vestry there is access to a fine stone spiral staircase which leads to the belfry. One of the striking elements of the interior of the church is its magnificent pulpit with Gothic decoration on turned columns. Of particular importance are the images and the decoration of the temple on which work was carried out by the best craftsmen of the period. Among them the figure of Our Lady of El Carrascal stands out owing to its great value and interest. It is a 13th-century (proto-Gothic) wood carving of a seated Madonna with the Child in her arms.

On the exterior of the church the important element is the old bell tower which is supported on the wall of the façade and has a kind of gatehouse reminiscent of a defensive function. Solid walls of masonry reinforced with ashlars confirm these bastion connotations of the church. To give access to the building there are two doorways, one at the feet (trumpet-shaped and with a basket arch) and another to the south (with a pointed arch with archivolts). In both we can sense decorative elements representing 15th-century Gothic style. The transept has elongated windows with round arches and balustraded crosses.

With regard to the alterations and reconstructions that the church has undergone, on the lintel of the entry to the vestry there is an inscription reading ANNO 1563. This refers to the year when the most extensive remodelling began to give the building a large part of its Renaissance additions. Some of the most important masters taking part in this remodelling, which continued for 41 years, were Pedro de Cámara, Francisco Hernández, and Pedro Ibarra. Another curious feature can be seen on the walls of the main chapel and the vestry, which is the sgraffito coat of arms of the bishop of Plasencia at the time, who was the promoter of the reconstruction work. Under it can be seen the date of completion: 1604.