The church of Santa María del Camino, also known as Our Lady of the Victories, is the oldest church in Carrión de los Condes. It was built in the 12th century alongside the medieval wall and is notable for its Romanesque architecture.
Its structure has three naves and a chevet with three apses. However, the most striking feature is the south doorway, one of the most interesting of Palencia’s Romanesque churches. It is formed by five archivolts decorated with figures of musicians, characters and animals. Above them, a frieze depicts the Epiphany and the Adoration of the Magi, with reliefs older than those in the church of Saint James.
One can also make out the heads of bulls that allude to the miracle of the Tribute of the Hundred Maidens. Legend has it that every year one hundred virgins had to be handed over to the emir of Cordoba as tribute for the support given to King Mauregato so that he could take the throne of Leon. Of those one hundred maidens, four came from the town of Carrión, and on one of the occasions when they were to be handed over, they were miraculously freed when four bulls attacked their captors.
Over the centuries, the building has undergone various modifications. The most significant was in the 17th century, when its original vault was replaced by a Baroque one.
Inside, as well as the Virgin of Victories, there are several interesting pieces of art. These include a 14th-century Gothic sculpture of Christ known as the Cristo del Amparo, the chapel of Antonio Pastor, with an oil painting from the 17th-century Seville school, and several historical tombs.
This church is a clear example of how architecture has evolved over time and a reference in Romanesque art on the Camino de Santiago.
