San Juan de Baños: Visigothic Church in Palencia, Spain

San Juan de Baños: A Visigothic Architectural Gem

The church of San Juan de Baños features a basilica with three naves and three apses, although only the central apse is authentic. Over the years, it has undergone partial reconstructions, even affecting the original layout. The original plan was widened up to the fourth and final arch, forming a transept that opened onto a triple header consisting of three rectangular chapels. After reconstruction, the side apses disappeared, and the plan was converted into a simple rectangle with an altered header. Despite these changes, the church retains its beauty with its balanced, simple structure and unobtrusive scenery. The steeple visible from the exterior is a 19th-century addition.

Exterior Door: A Masterpiece of Visigothic Design

The exterior door showcases pure Visigothic architecture with a horseshoe arch exceeded by 1/3 (the Mozarabic arch is exceeded by 2/3, the Caliphate by 1/2). The extrados of the voussoirs is not parallel to the soffit, and its thickness is irregular. The keystone is carved with a *clipeus* cross (a small shield with the bust of a god or character), adorned with a symmetrical quadrifolia, evoking the classic goldwork of the Visigoths. The decoration of the fascia and the extrados of the voussoirs share the same design as the crown of Recesvinto from the Guarrazar Treasury, featuring intersecting circles.

Interior: A Blend of Roman and Visigothic Elements

Inside, Visigothic arches rest upon reused marble columns in gray, beige, and pink. These columns, along with pastel yellow ocher capitals, contrast with the hard, pale beige limestone of the walls. Of all the capitals, only one is an authentic Roman Corinthian; the rest are Visigothic imitations. The keystone of the triumphal arch features the cross again, above a marble plaque with a poetic inscription written in hexameters. This plaque is “supported” by four cantilevers with stylized swastikas, reeds, and birds.

Historical Context and Consecration

The inscription on the plaque dates the consecration to the Hispanic Era year 699, which corresponds to the year 661 AD when adjusted for the 38-year difference between the Hispanic Era and the current era.

Sculpture of St. John the Baptist

A 15th-century alabaster sculpture of St. John the Baptist is the titular effigy. However, it is not located in the basilica but in the parish church of St. Martin of Tours. According to tradition, French soldiers of General Lasalle broke it into two pieces in 1808.

Architectural Details and Surroundings

Outside, high on the right of the arch, sculpted decorations are remnants from another building or, more likely, the partition that separated the stone altar area, as similar fragments have been found. This was a custom also practiced by Romanesque builders. In the apse, a stone lattice window exemplifies traditional Visigothic work. All current blinds in the building are restorations from the last century, based on Visigothic lattice pieces discovered during restoration work. The temple is surrounded by a two-foot-high stone fence, to which forged gates have been added and removed over the last century. The roof is made of wood and is of modern construction. The surroundings are characteristic of El Cerrato Palencia: mountains, plains, agricultural fields, and small tree groves (in this case, poplars).