St. Bartholomew's Church

The Church of San Bartolomé de Atienza is a Romanesque Catholic temple located in the town of Atienza, in the province of Guadalajara, Castilla-La Mancha. It currently functions as a church-museum, dedicated to religious art and, according to local tourist sources, also to paleontology and sacred art. Its construction dates back to the beginning of the 13th century, at the height of the Castilian Romanesque period. The sources consulted describe it as one of the buildings that best preserves the early Romanesque style in Atienza, with a very unique implantation in the lower part of the village, in a wooded environment and surrounded by a courtyard and stone enclosure. Among the most outstanding heritage elements, documented by the sources, are its Romanesque masonry, the belfry and the museum complex installed inside. The conservation of pieces of religious art from other churches in Atienza is also noted, which reinforces its value as a heritage container of the medieval town. The temple is integrated into the historic landscape of Atienza, a town of great medieval relevance in the Serranía de Guadalajara, articulated around the castle and its historical fabric. Its current function as a museum allows to preserve and show part of the local religious heritage in a building of great architectural and historical interest.