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Administrative center of the town with the Town Hall. The Torre del Merino presides over the square, one of the symbols of civil power in the Middle Ages. Ideal starting point to walk the streets of Santillana.
One of the most outstanding buildings of the town, in the Plaza de las Arenas, a quiet and less crowded area. An example of the noble architecture that characterizes the historic center of Santillana del Mar.
Former convent that houses the Diocesan Museum, with a collection of religious art. It is part of the monumental heritage of the medieval town.
Two historic buildings that house exhibitions and interpretation centers. They are a reference of the civil architecture of Santillana and are the venue for cultural activities.
The transformation of the old monastery into a collegiate church - when the Benedictine rule that governed it was changed to that of the Order of Canons of St. Augustine - took place in the middle of the 12th century, when the present church was built in Romanesque style, which is the largest in the Cantabrian cornice. Its structure of three apses and three naves follows the model of Frómista (Palencia) and of the international Romanesque that penetrates into Castile through the Camino de Santiago. The sculpture of its arcade, capitals and corbels evoke the fundamental themes of medieval religiosity, in particular the struggle between Good and Evil, and the need for penance and forgiveness to be saved from the pains of hell. This message is shown through allegories and animal symbols (lions, pelicans, doves, crows, snakes, goats...) and plant symbols (apples, ferns, acanthus, lilies, vines, grapes, pineapples...) as well as some human scenes. In the center of the transept stands the tomb of Saint Juliana, whose relics are kept in the chest of the altarpiece with the coats of arms of the Casa de la Vega.
The Altamira Cave, discovered by Marcelino Sanz de Sautuola in 1879, is located in the grounds of the Altamira Museum on one of the hills that surround the secluded and pleasant valley that shelters the universal town of Santillana del Mar. Its discovery aroused a strong controversy among archaeologists, since they did not believe that prehistoric men were capable of making such perfect paintings. The main room, called the polychrome room, has been considered the "Sistine Chapel of Quaternary art". Its ceiling depicts almost a hundred animals and signs, including 21 bison in different attitudes, accompanied by other animals such as deer, horses, goats, bovids, as well as signs, hands and human figures, sometimes superimposed, made with various techniques - engraving, silhouetting, painting, scraping and shading effects - resulting in a composition of great movement and beauty, unique in Paleolithic art. It was made 14,000 years ago. The rest of the cave (which has a longitudinal development of 270 m) contains numerous engravings, even older, and an important archaeological site in the vestibule. The Altamira cave has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Santillana del Mar is one of the towns of greatest historical and artistic value in Spain. To pronounce its name is to refer to the Altamira Caves, a cave full of prehistoric paintings described as the "Sistine Chapel" of cave art. Among the monuments that can be visited are the collegiate church of Santa Juliana and the towers of Merino and Don Borja, two of the oldest civil buildings in the town. In the streets of Santilla, medieval and cobbled, there are usually artisan workshops. It is typical to snack on milk with biscuits. It also highlights the nature and the coast, optimal for fishing.