Country Spain Comarca Western coast Capital Santillana del Mar Province Cantabria | Autonomous community Cantabria Judicial district Torrelavega Elevation 82 m (269 ft) Population 4,197 (2014) | |
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Weather 7°C, Wind W at 13 km/h, 80% Humidity Points of interest Cave of Altamira, National Museum and Rese, Cave of Altamira and Pale, Colegiata y Claustro de Santa Juli, Museo de la tortura ‑ Inquisicion | ||
Santillana del Mar ([santiˈʎana ðel maɾ]) is a historic town situated in Cantabria, Spain. Its many historic buildings attract thousands of holidaymakers every year.
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Map of Santillana del Mar, Cantabria, Spain
There is an old saying that Santillana del Mar is The Town of Three Lies, since it is neither a Saint (Santo), nor flat (llana), nor is it by the sea (Mar) as implied by its name. However, the name actually derives from Santa Juliana (or Santa Illana) whose remains are kept in the Colegiata, a Romanesque church and former Benedictine monastery. The UNESCO World Heritage site Cave of Altamira is nearby.
Localities
The 3,983 inhabitants (INE, 2006) are distributed as follows:
Notable people
Santillana (born 1952), footballer
In literature
The protagonist of the novel Gil Blas is born in Santillana.
In his philosophical novel "La Nausée", Sartre described Santillana as the prettiest village in Spain ("le plus joli village d'Espagne").