Iglesia de Santa Marta - Martos
The church stands on the ruins of an Arab mosque as a result of the conquest of the town from the Islamic forces by Fernando III of Castile. The church is consecrated to the patron saint of the city, Santa Marta, and according to tradition, the remains of the Carvajal Brothers, Knights of the Order of Calatrava, who were executed in Martos in 1312, are buried there. Construction of the current church began in the fifteenth century. Following the aesthetics of the Gothic style, the main chapel and the baptistery were built covered with beautiful ribbed vaults. At the beginning of the sixteenth century, its main portal was erected, a splendid example of the Renaissance Gothic. In the middle of that same century,the church underwent an important transformation attributed to the architect Francisco del Castillo “El Mozo”, consisting of the rebuilding of its stonewalls, respecting the Gothic elements carved in stone: presbytery, baptistery and doorway, and raising new columnar supports of a giant Tuscan order of impeccable classicist modulation. Towards the year 1562, it is known that the master Francisco del Castillo finished building the tower, embedded in the building’s factory, and divided into three bodies.
Location
Located in Plaza de la Constitución.