Venta de Baños

In the Cerrato region of Palencia is the town of Venta de Baños, less than 15 kilometres from the capital. It is a modern city where the church of Santa Rosa de Lima stands out. It was restored in the 19th century, but its origins date back to the 12th century.

In the same area is the town of Baños del Cerrato, famous for being home to the Visigothic church of San Juan Bautista de Baños. The Visigothic king Recesvinto ordered this religious structure to be built in the 7th century because the monarch considered the waters of a nearby spring to be miraculous. It is the oldest remaining one of its kind in Spain. Its basilica plan is of great quality and reflects firm spiritual conviction, accentuated by the votive memorial tablet which appears above the triumphal arch. One of its main features is the use of the horseshoe arch, very common in Visigothic buildings, along with the Paleochristian basilica plan. Some classical capitals and shafts reveal the fact that it is built on the site of a former Roman temple.