The medieval hermitage of Nuestra Señora de Alarcos is located 10
kilometers from Ciudad Real (Spain) in the Archaeological Park of
Alarcos. Possibly it was built between the 13th and 14th centuries on
top of the Alarcos hill, next to the Guadiana river. This place had
previously been an important Iberian fortified (oppida) town. During
the Middle Ages a castle was built and an attempt was made to build a
walled city that was never completed.
The hermitage has three naves and two chapels. The naves are separated
from each other by ten limestone pillars that support eight pointed
arches characteristic of Gothic art. The capitals of the pillars are
decorated with leaves and with representations of human heads. Outside
there is a large rose window decorated with six-petal flowers that
illuminates the interior of the building.
