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House of Águila an
of La Parra |
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The historical development of
Santillana can be observed at present in its layout,
which reflects the succession of different power centres
and art styles. The medieval urban structure remains,
with only one main street: the Rúa or el Rey street,
which stretches from the collegiate church to the outside
part of the village in the south. At present, this vía
separates into various paths: Río, Cantón, la Carrera
and Santo Domingo streets. Also, in the Middle Ages, a
new branch was added to this main axis, the present Juan
de Infante street, which gave Santillana its Y urban
structure, progressing to the urban centre not only at
that time but also at present: Ramón Pelayo square, the
ancient Market square. There is also another important
centre since the medieval period: the square located in
front of the collegiate church. In the 17th century, the
Revolgo field had already become part of the urban
tissue, with the building there of important religious
places and numerous casonas. Therefore, Santillana has
two squares and two main streets which retain the
original stone paving, and to which the façades of the
popular houses and casonas are open. Between the 18th century and the
early 19th, Santillana completely lost its power as an
administrative and religious centre. In spite of the
attempt of the canons to change the collegiate church
into a new bishopric separated from that of Burgos, by
constructing new attached buildings such as the camarín,
the choir and the vestry, the Cathedral was finally
settled in the collegiate church of Santander. Nor Santillana could overcome
Torrelavega's bid to become the head of the judicial
district.
In the 19th century,
Santillana was declared national historic and artistic
set and at present, it has become one of the most
important cultural and tourist centres in Cantabria.
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