Basílica de San Vicente (Basilica of St. Vincent)

Basílica de San Vicente (Basilica of St. Vincent) Review

North of Ávila's cathedral, on Plaza de San Vincente, is the much-venerated Romanesque Basílica de San Vicente, founded on the supposed site where St. Vincent was martyred in the year 303 with his sisters, Sts. Sabina and Cristeta. Construction began in 1130 and continued through the 12th century; the massive church complex was restored in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The west front, shielded by a vestibule, still has damaged but expressive Romanesque carvings depicting the death of Lazarus and the parable of the rich man's table. The sarcophagus of St. Vincent forms the centerpiece of the basilica's Romanesque interior. The extraordinary, Asian-looking canopy above the sarcophagus is a 15th-century addition.