San Juan Apóstol church

The Church of San Juan is the most outstanding example of Romanesque-Mudejar architecture, 13th century, (fusion of Romanesque and Islamic tradition) that is preserved in the province, being one of the seven churches that counts the villa today and the 18 that throughout history it came to have, of which, at least 5 were built in the same style, although today only the one of Santiago is preserved, probably the oldest of all.

The abundant number of temples of this style, both in the town and in the region (Pedrosillo de Alba, Turra de Alba, Galleguillos, Gajates, Coca de Alba, Peñarandilla,...) together with the purity of lines of some of them, have led to consider Alba de Tormes, as one of the sources of this artistic style.

Built in the late twelfth and early thirteenth century, after the repopulation of the villa commissioned at first by Alfonso VI to Raimundo de Borgoña and later by Alfonso IX, the temple has undergone important reforms since the fifteenth century, In 1791 it lost its original Byzantine-style portico under which the council met to dispense justice since during the 15th century this church had a municipal character.

It was finally restored in 1957, suppressing the baroque whims, with which it was covered in the eighteenth century in order to return it to its primitive appearance and raising the current door. 

Since June 24, 1993 is declared BIC (Cultural Interest Property), being of great interest both its architecture and the artistic pieces that it houses, adding to the patrimony of the temple, artistic works from other churches of the town (San Miguel and Santiago).