Parroquia de Nuestra Señora de la O

The Church of Nuestra Señora de la O is the Major Parish Church of Sanlúcar de Barrameda. It was built in about 1360 with the support of Isabel de la Cerda y Guzmán, First Countess of Medinaceli and granddaughter of the first Lord of Sanlúcar, Guzmán el Bueno, preserving one the towers of the old Fortress that was used as a bell tower.

The architectural style is typical of the Mudéjar parish churches of the Kingdom of Seville, with a rectangular base with a basilica-style interior layout, comprising three naves, with the liturgical east end in the form of an octagonal apse. The central nave is separated from those at the sides by arches.

Highlights include the Mudéjar doorway built of sandstone and located at the foot of the central nave. Above it are the coats of arms of the House of Guzmán and de la Cerda supported by raging lions. On the right-hand side of the church there is a second masonry doorway, with a lancet arch, much simpler, and crowned by a cornice decorated with corbels of grotesque masks.

Inside we find an impressive Mudéjar coffered ceiling (16th century) and beautiful religious images, some of them from the 17th century.

Throughout its history, the Church of Nuestra Señora de O has undergone various alterations, and in this way the chapels we now see were added to the original floor plan. The architect Alonso de Vandelvira, ordered by Alonso Pérez de Guzmán y Sotomayor, and in 1604 he completed the second, oblong-shaped, body of the bell tower.

The Church Nuestra Señora de O has been classified as a Site of Cultural Interest since 1931.

Next to the Church, there is a permanent exhibition of sacred art. It has pieces that have been guardered by the city for centuries. In this exposition you can see craftwork and painting, taking the 13th century as its beginning.