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Iglesia Mayor de San Mateo

Tarifa's main church is on Calle Sancho IV el Bravo, right in the historic centre. Construction began in the early 16th century with a Gothic plan and rib vaults, and worship is documented from 1534. It became the city's principal church in 1546. The main façade took almost two centuries to finish: it is Baroque, designed in 1774 by Torcuato Cayón de la Vega and completed four years later under the direction of master Carlos Hermida. On the side façade is the Puerta de los Perdones (Door of Pardons), which remains unfinished and which tradition links to the pardon granted by Sancho IV to anyone who lived in Tarifa for a year and a day. Inside, the highlights are an 18th-century Baroque organ with 713 pipes in a Gothic case, a Mexican mahogany grille, a carving of St Matthew and a 7th-century tombstone found on Monte de la Peña. The stained glass dates from 1962.

Things to do at Iglesia Mayor de San Mateo: 3 missions

• Find the Puerta de los PerdonesWalk around the church to the side façade and find the Puerta de los Perdones (Door of Pardons), which remains unfinished. Notice what it lacks compared with the main façade.
• Look at the 713-pipe organIf the church is open, find the 18th-century Baroque organ, with 713 pipes in a Gothic case, above the entrance.
• Photograph the Baroque façade of San MateoStand in front of the main façade and take in its Baroque composition, a work designed in 1774. Find the large central opening and the decoration of the doorway.

Near Iglesia Mayor de San Mateo

Source: Turismo de Tarifa - Iglesia Mayor de San Mateo Apóstol