The church of Santa María la Mayor in Alcázar de San Juan (Ciudad Real)

In the old town of Alcázar de San Juan stands the church of Santa María la Mayor, one of the main tourist attractions of La Mancha. Construction work on it began in the thirteenth century on the ruins of an ancient mosque. When the Order of San Juan took control of Alcázar de San Juan in 1226, the church of Santa María la Mayor was converted into one of the main temples of the Order, as evinced by the window decorations with the Cross of St. John. The church has a mixture of architectural styles from different eras: the Romanesque apse, the Visigothic walls, some Mudéjar chapels, a Renaissance façade and the Baroque high altar. The interior has a Latin Cross, divided into three naves, and preserves the baptismal font where a certain Miguel de Cervantes, who was not the author of the Quijote, was baptized, thus indirectly giving rise to the controversy over the birthplace of the famous writer. For this reason, outside of the church there is a statue of Miguel de Cervantes, as if to keep intact the doubts about the origins of the author. The church also displays a reddish color both outside and inside, due to the use of sandstone for its construction.