Santa Maria Church (Cathedral)

The current layout of the church results from the excavation and restoration work carried out by Fernando de Almeida, who interpreted it as being, in its essence, a Visigoth work. However, this restoration took place at the end of the 16^th century, a time corresponding to the last expansion works of this cathedral. The Cathedral remains a great interpretive challenge, despite several survey and interpretation projects carried out in recent decades. In 1992, Claudio Torres believed that it could possibly have been a mosque in a study associated with the dissident Ibn Marwan, but could also be a Christian construction, with a model similar to high medieval Asturo-Leonese architecture (Manuel Real in 2000). More recently, new studies propose it had a primitive civil function, high medieval, and was later transformed into a Christian religious space. It is certain that the Templar Order was responsible for one of the phases of this building, having transformed it into a Church dedicated to Santa Maria. This renovation consolidated the northern wall of this place of worship, introducing a bell tower on the eastern side of the northern façade's gable, formed by two symmetrical round arches and a small oculus in the highest part. The main doors are located on the western and northern sides. In 1497, a new renovation phase began by order of D. Manuel. This element of the Historical Monuments of Idanha-a-Velha, and all its surroundings, were renovated within the scope of the Historical Villages project.