Parish Church of Santa María (Tauste)

Situated on the banks of the Ebro river, this parish church with its majestic Mudéjar tower is located in the village of Tauste, one of the five villages after which this district is named.

The church of Santa María is an outstanding example of the Aragonese Mudéjar style. The construction work started in the first third of the 13th century and was completed during the next; it was remodelled and extended in the 16th-18th centuries. It has a Levantine-style Gothic nave, with simple ribbed vaults, chapels between the buttresses and a five-sided polygonal sanctuary (circular on the interior), with elegant decoration composed of a continuous frieze with a range of different motifs. The main altarpiece is the work of Gil Morlanes 'the Younger', Gabriel Joly and Juan de Salas. However the highlight is the magnificent Mudéjar tower standing at the foot of the church. It has an octagonal floor plan and is designed in the style of the traditional Almohad minarets, richly decorated with multi-linear arches, pointed geminate windows and cross motifs.