Ávila - San Andrés

Under the Visigoths, Ávila was one of the most important cities in the kingdom due to its proximity to the capital Toledo. From the 8th to the 11th centuries, Ávila was Moorish. The situation in the contested borderland between the Muslim and Christian worlds prevented prosperity, which only began in the 15th century when the fighting moved further south. The city experienced its heyday in the 16th century. The plague, the expulsion of the Moriscos (baptized Moors), and the emigration of many people to America caused Ávila's gradual decline, from which the city has only slowly recovered since the 19th century. Today the population is around 60,000.

The Church of San Andrés is considered the oldest Romanesque church building in the city. The church was probably built at the end of the 11th century - at the same time as the construction of the city walls of Ávila. San Andrés is north of the city walls.

This mermaid embellishes the west portal