Iglesia de Santiago

The original church was built by the Military Order of Santiago, knights of which faught to retake the city in 1232. The church of Santiago has lost a lot of its original charm due to renovations it underwent during the 17th century. It still has, however, the curious ancient doors and some of its previous structure. The current bell tower was, before 1232, one of the defensive towers at the gate of Santiago. In the sacristy is the coat-of-arms of Pedro Ponce de León, bishop of Placencia, General Inquisitor of Spain during the 16th century. Next to the magnificent painted wood paneling over the altar is the tomb of the Tapia family, marked by a coat-of-arms showing six crows' heads. On the other side is the burial of the Paredes family, bearing the coat-of-arms granted to "Samson of Extremadura" at Mantua by the Emperor Charles V.