route 12 Trail through the Cidade da Cultura and Alameda Park

Located in Inmaculada Square, the origins of San Martiño Pinario date back to the time of discovery of the tomb of the apostle Saint James, in the IX century, when Benedictine monks settled in its vicinity, in a place called Pinario. In the Modern Ages, with its incorporation to the Valladolid reform, the monastery is enlarged to the point where it is, at the time, considered to be the one with the biggest area in the whole of Spain, only behind San Lorenzo del Escorial.
The current church, whose first stone was placed in 1590, owes its appearance to Mateo López, who designed a temple that had to adapt to a difficult location, due to the slope of the terrain where it sits.
It was planned as having a deep high altar, which made possible the existence of a retrochoir, a wide sacristy and a statio, which would link the temple with the rest of the monastery. It also has a wide cross and a single nave with three chapels on each side, linked among themselves.
The extraordinary height of the nave, due partly to the aforementioned slope of the terrain, is a highlight. This also allows for a monumental façade towards the outside.