Basilica of Santa Eulalia

The present basilica of Santa Eulalia was built on the remains of a former Paleo-Christian basilica after the town was reconquered in 1230. Its physiognomy, and more specifically its design, in which the structure of the early church from the Visigoth era endures, is that of a basilica, with three naves corresponding to several chapels at the transept.

One of the most outstanding elements of this Romanesque-style church is the splayed doorway with horseshoe arch to which archivolts and small columns with capitals decorated with plant motifs and birds were adjoined.

Gothic and Baroque characters can also be seen in the church, as in the case of the doorway and a chapel.

After the renovation work carried out in the late 20th century the basilica became a showcase of the town's twenty centuries of history. With good reason the house of the patron of Mérida, the martyr Santa Eulalia, which you can visit in the Temple of Mars, is the oratory known popularly as "hornito", a tiny building located in the atrium of the basilica.

One extremely interesting visit is that of the crypt of the basilica, where burials from different ages are preserved.