Santillana del Mar

Casa de Leonor de la Vega

The House of Leonor de la Vega is located on Canton Street and dates, according to tradition, from the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. This is said to be the house where Doña Leonor de la Vega, mother of the first Marquis of Santillana, lived, a fact supported by the three coats of arms in Gothic style that can be seen on the facade

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Casa de los Quevedo

The House of Quevedo and Cossío of the late seventeenth century is located on Del Rio Street in front of a trough. This building is actually two houses arranged next to each other forming a square, although they are currently united to form a single house. The one on the southern side was owned by the Quevedo family and the other is the house of Cossío.

The Quevedo house has a shield formed by a parapet on the north facade, however, what stands out most is the tunnel of stone arches that crosses the house to provide drainage service to the trough and the stream.

The house of the Quevedo family has a shield formed by a parapet on the north facade, however, what stands out most is the tunnel of stone arches that crosses the house to provide drainage service to the trough and the stream.

The house of Cossío.

The Cossío house is accessed through a large doorway protected by pilasters attached to columns on which sits an iron balcony. The building has two entrance doors and in the middle of them stands the coat of arms of Cossío.

INFORMATION OF INTEREST

Telephone: 653 310 371

Casa de los Villa

The house of the Villa family was built during the eighteenth century with a square floor plan but was subsequently renovated numerous times. The element that underwent the most reconstructions was the tower on top of which an elongated rectangular house was built in the 18th century.

The most outstanding elements of the house are the front of the house as it is linteled and surrounded by small openings in the form of oculi, iron balconies decorated with stone corbels and the coat of arms of the lineages of Cos, Bracho and Bustamante.

Casa torre de Calderón de la Barca

The Calderón de la Barca Tower is the oldest civil building in the Autonomous Community of Cantabria and has elements dating back to the 15th century.

It is worth noting the grandiose square tower topped with battlements and has a hipped roof. This tower was owned by the Calderón family and because it was used for defensive purposes at the crossing of the Saja River, which was crossed by boat, it came to be known as the Calderón de la Barca family.

Contiguous to the tower is the palace which can be accessed through a hallway, under a vault supported by four semicircular arches.

Casas de Águila y La Parra

The Casa del Águila and La Parra are two buildings built between the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries that are joined by a small two-story element in which temporary exhibitions of the Department of Culture, Tourism and Sport are held.

The house of La Parra has a main facade with two Gothic doors that lead to the old market square and over which is a screen of wood and brick that hides the original facade. This house picks up the name of the tree that accompanied it.

The house of the Eagle has two semicircular arcades on the first floor and takes its name from the Estrada family coat of arms.

HOURS

Tuesday to Saturday from 10:00 to 13:30 and from 16:30 to 20:00 Sunday from 11:00 to 13:30Monday closed

Monday closed

Saturday from 10:00 to 13:30 and from 16:30 to 20:00.

INFORMATION OF INTEREST

Telephone: 942 818 398

Colegiata de Santa Juliana

The Collegiate Church of Santa Juliana appeared thanks to the rise of the old monastery of the same name in the mid-twelfth century. This was built by several monks with the intention that the area of Santillana del Mar, formerly called “Sancta luliana” was repopulated and a small hermitage was created to exhibit the relics of the martyr Juliana.

The collegiate church of Santa Juliana was built in the middle of the 12th century.

No remains of the old monastery are preserved, although it is assumed that it was a simple stone building with a rectangular apse and wooden roof, like other Mozarabic or Visigothic constructions.

Convento de las Dominicas

The Dominican Convent which housed maidens of the main families of the city has a church facing north, parallel to the road, and a cloister to the south. The latter is simple with small arcades and windows without any decoration.

The highlight of the interior of the church is a large Philippine ivory Christ of the early eighteenth century which is presiding over the main altar.

The church has a large ivory statue of the Virgin Mary.

Cuevas de Altamira

It can be clearly stated that the cave of Altamira is the ultimate example of the creative ingenuity of the human being since all the fundamental characteristics of Art are combined. You can appreciate the different artistic techniques (drawing, painting and engraving), the treatment of form and the use of space, as well as symbolism, naturalism, three-dimensionality and abstraction.

This cave has the advantage and the privilege of having become the first place in the world where the Rock Art of the Upper Paleolithic was discovered, and thanks to its fantastic conservation, peculiarity and the freshness of its pigments, the recognition and importance of the place lasted a quarter of a century.

Museo Diocesano Regional

The Regina Coeli Diocesan Museum is considered the first diocesan museum in Spain which was created in 1592 inside a former convent of Dominican friars. The church attached to the convent was built in 1648 with a single nave and a cloister.

In the interior of this museum you can find more than 800 works from the parishes of the region. Of all these collections are the Gothic sculpture, the groups of San Roque and San Sebastian, the silks and Spanish-Filipino ivories, enamels and silverware from all periods and especially the collection from America.

INFORMATION OF INTEREST

Telephone: 942 840 317

Ayuntamiento

The Town Hall Building was built in the early eighteenth century with yellow ashlar masonry and subsequently renovated on numerous occasions among which highlights the one carried out in 1883, the year in which he began to adapt the building to house inside the headquarters of the City Council. From this date dates the coat of arms of the town in which we can see lions and mermaids as decoration.7

INFORMATION OF INTEREST

Telephone: 942 818 075

Museo de la Tortura

The El Solar Torture Museum offers an exhibition featuring more than 50 instruments of punishment used by the Holy Inquisition and classified according to their use: “For punishment and public humiliation”, “Instruments whose purpose was execution” and “Devices created to specifically torture women.”

The exhibition is a collection of more than 50 instruments of punishment used by the Holy Inquisition and classified according to their use: “For punishment and public humiliation”, “Instruments whose purpose was execution” and “Devices created to specifically torture women”.

We can also find loose items such as for example the guillotine, the iron maiden, colts, garrotes, chastity belts, etc.

Palacio de los Benemejis

The Benemejís Palace is considered one of the most elegant buildings in the town. It was built in the 17th century in baroque style with a square floor plan, a hipped roof with decorative pinnacles on its corners and two floors.

The highlight of the palace is the main facade which features the coat of arms of the Peredo family as well as the large wrought iron balcony just below the coat of arms.

Currently, the Benemejís Palace houses the Cultural Center and holds exhibitions.

Palacio de Mijares

The Mijares Palace was built in the mid-sixteenth century in the place of Mijares in order to be the main residence of the Peredo family, it is noteworthy that in 1995 it was declared of Cultural Interest.

The Mijares Palace was built in the mid-sixteenth century in the place of Mijares in order to be the main residence of the Peredo family.

The building was erected entirely in ashlar masonry in the form of a tower and it is worth noting the pinnacles and gargoyles on the corners and the grandiose coat of arms of the Peredo on one of the balconies.

In 2007 the palace began to be renovated with the intention of converting it into a hotel-restaurant.

Palacio de Velarde

The Velarde Palace or also known as the Palace of Las Arenas of Gothic Renaissance style is built in the fifteenth century in the Plaza de las Arenas. A couple of centuries later, specifically in the seventeenth century the palace undergoes a thorough remodeling.

At present the facade is still preserved, which has the coat of arms of the Velarde, a stepped gable and pinnacles as ornamentation

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Palacio de Viveda

The palace of Viveda also called palace of Peredo has the consideration of mountain mansion since it was built in the seventeenth century on a hill in the place of Viveda. It also has numerous elements on its facades, mainly added in the eighteenth century.

In 1982 it was declared an Asset of Cultural Interest and in 2003 the City Council rehabilitated it to be used for the celebration of various cultural events in the municipality.

Playa y Ermita de Santa Justa

The hermitage of Santa Justa is located in the village of Ubiarco, belonging to the municipality of Santillana del Mar. It has the cataloging of Good of Local Interest for being a construction excavated in a rock on the shores of the beach of Santa Justa.

This small temple was built in the sixteenth century for the purpose of venerating Santa Justa and Rufina. Today two walls raised with stone in masonry covered with a one-water roof are preserved.

Over the years, this hermitage has become one of the major centers of attraction for pilgrims on the Cantabrian coast.

Museo de Altamira

The National Museum and Research Center of Altamira also known as Altamira Museum was created by order of the Ministry of Culture in 1979 with the aim of managing and preserving the Altamira Cave, although the new headquarters of the museum was founded in July 2001 in a building designed by Juan Navarro Baldeweg very close to the cave.

In addition to the Altamira Cave, this museum conserves collections from other Cantabrian sites such as the Cueva de las Estalactitas, the Cueva del Castillo and the Cueva de las Monedas, among others.

The highlight of the museum is the Neocave, which forms a three-dimensional representation of the cave of Altamira as it was between 35,000 and 13,000 years ago when it was inhabited by different groups of hunter-gatherers. Its tour allows visitors to learn about the habitat of its inhabitants and the beauty of its rock art.

Casa de los Sanchez Tagle

The House of Sanchez Tagle is a seventeenth century building designed by three important figures in the history of Santillana, Don Andres (brother of the first Marquis of Altamira), Don Anselmo and Don Pedro. On the upper floor has a series of balconies on the top floor on the great coat of arms of the lineage and also inside the building we can currently enjoy an excellent archive and an art collection.

INFORMATION OF INTEREST

Telephone: 942 818 812

Puerto de Calderón

The Port of Calderon is an inlet on the Cantabrian Sea of Romanesque origin as well as the moorings that can be seen during low tide. This port had great importance for being the only free port being able to embark or disembark fish or other goods.

The first use it had was as a shipping point for the zinc ore extracted in the place, while nowadays it serves as a port for small sport and fishing boats.

Torre de Don Beltrán de la Cueva

The Tower of Beltrán de la Cueva is known by several names (although this is the official one) such as La Beltraneja or Torre de Quevada. It is located in Quevada, within the municipality of Santillana del Mar, next to the Parish Church of Quevada.

This was built by order of Don Beltrán de la Cueva at the end of the 15th century or beginning of the 16th century for defensive purposes. Over time the tower was transformed into a private residence so it left aside the defensive purposes. Later, in the seventeenth century, a mountain mansion was added to it, which can be admired today, and finally in 1981 the complex was declared an Asset of Cultural Interest.

Torre de Don Borja

The Tower of Don Borja also known as Santillana Foundation is located in the Plaza de Ramón Pelayo as well as the Torre del Merino. Its name comes from Don Francisco de Borja Barreda, son of the Barreda family, who ordered the construction of the tower in the nineteenth century.

Among the later owners is the Infanta Doña Paz de Borbón and later in 1981 underwent a remodeling in order to host the headquarters of the Santillana Foundation.

With regard to the architectural character of the building, it is worth mentioning that on the sides of the parapet you can see a coat of arms of the Barreda family.

INFORMATION OF INTEREST

Information of interest

Information of interest.

Telephone: 942 818 075

Torre del Merino

The Merino Tower is located in the old market square of Santillana del Mar, now known as Plaza de Ramón Pelayo. The tower dates back to the fourteenth century and is known by the name of Merino for being the place where the Merino resided, a person who was an official and who represented the king.

The most remarkable in terms of its structure are the battlements that the tower has in the tops.

The most remarkable in terms of its structure are the battlements that the tower has in the tops.

Zoo

The Zoo is spread over 60,000 m2 free of architectural barriers and has been in operation for 37 years and has been rated by ADENA/WWF as one of the four best zoos in Spain. It is also a founding member of the Iberian Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AIZA) since 1988 and a member of the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EAZA) since 1997.

Each year different captive breeding programs are developed for endangered species such as the Snow Panthers, the Emperor Marmoset, the Otter and the European Bison. Since 2003 it has participated in the recreation of the flora and fauna of Altamira from the Quaternary Period.

Casa de los Bustamante

The Bustamante House is a house built between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries by Francisco Ambrosio Sánchez de Bustamante. This building is flanked by two oculi and balconies in the pulpit of the noble floor, floor on which is framed a third balcony with a molding with earflaps. The coat of arms of the Bustamante family can be seen on the façade.