The Church of St Gil Abad in Burgos1 is one of the churches you can visit with a 10€ ticket from the cathedral. It is a beautiful and atmospheric building on the edge of the historic town. The church stands in the north east corner of the old town. The outside wall is also the wall of the old town, at the gateway of St Gil.
A brief history
A church has stood on this site for over one thousand years. Don Pedro de Camargo and Don García de Burgos made donations for the current church which dates from c.1399. St Gil or St Giles had a curious history but I can’t find an explanation for ‘Abad’…
Inside the church of St Gil Abad in Burgos
Inside the church the atmosphere is calm, peaceful and contemplative.
Chapels in the church
The Chapel of the Good morning has an altarpiece by Gil de Siloe who also worked in the Chapel of the Constable in the cathedral. He was a Flemish artist who was attracted to Burgos by the very active building and artistic programme in the city.
The Chapel of the Nativity was commissioned by Juan de Castro and Ines de Lerma in 1529. One of the artists was Philip of Burgundy who also worked in the cathedral.
The Church of St Gil Abad in Burgos is peaceful and one of the churches where there were there were people sitting quietly, alone with their thoughts.
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