Co-Cathedral of Santa María la Mayor

You’re now in front of the Co-Cathedral of Santa María la Mayor, the oldest building on Plaza de España. It’s called a co-cathedral because it shares its archdiocese with the cathedral in Badajoz. The story of this site goes back to the fall of the Western Roman Empire, when Merida was still a thriving city in Visigothic Hispania. Back then, the Cathedral of Santa Jerusalem stood here and served as the seat of the Visigothic Archbishop of Emerita. When the Arabs invaded, the Christians were forced to flee, taking with them sacred relics from the church, including those of Saint Eulalia, the city’s patron saint. In 1230, King Alfonso IX reclaimed Merida and handed it over to the Archbishop of Compostela. That same year, a new chapel was built on top of the old Visigothic ruins, dedicated to Saint Mary. Two centuries later, it was expanded into the city’s main church, absorbing other parishes and growing into a much grander structure. Side chapels were added in the 16th century, and in 1994, Pope John Paul II restored the ancient archbishopric of Merida, now called Merida-Badajoz, and elevated the church to co-cathedral status. What began as a humble chapel on ancient ruins gradually grew into a cathedral. Inside, you'll find three naves, which were originally topped with intricate Mudéjar wooden ceilings. If you visit, look closely at the walls, many were once covered in paintings, and you can still spot a surviving fragment showing the Mass of Saint Gregory. For centuries, the chapels served as tombs for Merida’s noble families. Eleanor of Austria, sister to Emperor Charles V and former Queen of both Portugal and France, was buried here before her remains were moved to the royal pantheon at El Escorial. Here’s where things get a little legendary. It’s said the church once held part of the lost treasure from the Temple of Jerusalem. Among these relics was a mysterious stone called the alquila, which supposedly gave off such powerful light that you could pray in the cathedral at any hour, day or night. Chronicles claim that when the Arabs entered the city, the alquila glowed so brightly it lit up the entire church. The story goes that Isban, king of Al-Andalus, was present with Nebuchadnezzar during the sack of Jerusalem and brought part of the temple treasure to Merida. Some say it included a jar filled with pearls and even Solomon’s legendary tablets said to contain the knowledge of the entire universe, granting ultimate wisdom to whoever possessed them. The cathedral is also officially part of Merida’s UNESCO World Heritage-listed archaeological complex.