by Despite bearing more than a passing resemblance to the sandstone splendor of the treasury in the ancient city of Petra in Jordan, the church of St. Mary, located in the small and foggy northern Spanish town of Gumiel de Izán, comes up a little short. camels, Nabataean ruins and vast desert vistas.
What it does have, however, are the perfect proportions of a mini-cathedral, a stunning polychromatic altar, six centuries of history – and new fame thanks to its more celebrated architectural appearance.
In the two months since a National Geographic article noting the similarities between the two monuments went viral, Gumiel de Izán (population 600) has been flooded with about 10,000 visitors. Before the comparisons put Petra Gumiel on the map, Holy Week would draw around 400 visitors, and busy July and August another 1,450. But last week’s three-day bank holiday brought more than 3,000 people to the narrow and old streets, much to the delight of residents and business owners.
For some tourists, the appeal lies in the unlikely connection; for others, the discovery of medieval treasures hidden in plain sight just off the motorway an hour and a half drive north of Madrid.
The mayor of Gumiel, Jesús Briones – who was an altar boy at Saint Mary’s before becoming a professional footballer and local politician there – is still processing the sudden change in the status of his hometown.
“We knew we had a good collegiate church with a great altar, but we never imagined any of this – ever,” he said as he took a break between tours of the church, which was built between the 15th and 17th centuries century.
“It’s all just exploded: the streets are full of people eating coffee or buying a loaf of bread or small cakes.”
By noon on a cold December Thursday, a dozen people from as far away as Barcelona, Valladolid, Navarra and Guadalajara were queuing for the first tour of the day. Briones and nine other volunteers, including the parish priest, are taking turns as guides. If things like this continued, the mayor said, they would have to hire a permanent guide. The church has already started asking visitors for a voluntary donation of €2.
“The number of people coming since the article came out and being picked up by other media is just crazy,” Briones said. “We are excited about this talk on our own Petra.”
Although he is delighted with the church’s late recognition – and happily identifies as Petra – the mayor wants people to look beyond St Mary’s baroque facade and explore the Gothic interior .
As well as the high vaulted ceiling, various chapels, a large, century-old organ in need of a €100,000 (£86,000) restoration, a choir and an articulated statue of the crucified Christ, the church has been decorated for a big 16th day. -age retabloor altar, whose panels tell the story of Jesus from birth to Passion.
According to local legend, the disturbing, visceral figure seen in a temple scene is a self-portrait by the still unknown creator of the altar.
Manuel Rivera, who traveled up from Guadalajara, was pleased to learn that St. Mary’s was living up to the hype.
“I saw the whole Petra thing in the media but I had no idea what was inside,” he said. “It’s a real treasure and it’s all original.”
Felisa Hernández, who came from Valladolid with her husband and two friends, was planning a visit even before things went viral. They wanted to get to church before things got too busy.
“We were going to come anyway, but it’s really so beautiful,” she said. “It’s amazing what you can find hidden.”
While Gumiel is still basking in his unexpected fame – and there are talks about the possibility of opening a restaurant to serve visitors and showcase regional food and wine – Briones is doing nothing. Like much of Spain’s countryside, this northeastern corner of Castilla y León has fallen prey to gentrification as changing demographics and a challenging economy cause entire towns and villages to decline and die. The creep of la España vaciadaor concave Spain, not too far away.
“Gumiel still has 600 people, but there are nearby towns that are disappearing because they only have 10 residents,” said the mayor. “They have to come here to shop or have a glass of wine.”
Even if much of the town’s survival is due to the staying power of the regional wine industry – including the Norman Foster-designed bodega on the outskirts of Gumiel – and the presence of the large local factories, the conversation will be buzzing about “the Spanish Petra . Can only help matters.
“Depopulation is a very sad thing and we would be very happy if this would help the restoration,” said Briones. “Hopefully this will continue and it’s just a big boom.”
As the early afternoon sun burned away the last mist and tourists posed for selfies in front of the now famous facade, one local woman stopped in the church square to sum up the welcoming mist of the past two months.
“That church has always been here and has always been a treasure,” she said. “We’ve always known that but it’s great that other people are coming to realize it too.”
