The Church
The Church is dedicated to Saint Quiteria, a Christian martyr who was executed in the 5th century by the Roman empire, for refusing to abandon her faith. Built between 1170 and 1250, it is a fine example of the “rural Romanesque” architecture of that age, typical of this region of Spain. Construction of the Church was sponsored and funded by the bishopric of Siguenza, drawing on the wealth of the salt production to establish the Christian faith in these new communities. When Bujalcayado reached its prime, from 1850 to 1920, the church was full to capacity for regular Mass . As the village became abandoned during the mid-20th century, the church was neglected and began to deteriorate rapidly. Sometime in the 1970’s the bells were removed and then the interior was steadily looted of its treasures. During the past 30 years it has begun to collapse, so that now parts of the bell tower, altar dome and walls are all that remain. However, the village is now determined to arrest this decline and to restore the church as its centrepiece. Beginning with the first fiesta concert in 2014, a campaign has been launched to raise funds for this restoration project.
