Chapel of the Madonna of Las Vacas
Ávila
This building is situated in the quarter of the town known as Las Vacas, a traditional quarter that has conserved the aftertaste of local ground-floor mill houses. As with other churches in Ávila, it is thought to have been built on the remains of a Roman temple. Paid for by the nobleman Juan Núñez Dávila, it dates from the 15th century. The upper end was built in 1582 in granite ashlar work and the sacristy was completed in 1590. What was to be one single nave was exaggeratedly small in comparison with the disproportionate upper end, so it was raised with the construction of the choir, side chapels and the rebuilding of the belfry. The main front is made of brick, except for the main entrance, which is of granite ashlar work. The main chapel boasts a very austere Herrerian Renaissance style. The nave has a Mudejar-style coffered ceiling from the 16th century and the upper end has a semi-spherical cupola separated into eight sections by ribs set on scallops. It was designated a National Monument on 9 April 1992.
