The Collegiate Church Saint Mary the Greatest one, in Bolea, was constructed between 1.535 and 1.556 by the architect Balthasar de Barazábal and it is framed in the transit of the Gothic one to the Renaissance. Of its Arab castle they are left rest in the tower, in its plinth and its walls. It conserves the original laying of foundations of the previous Romanesque temple of century XII.
It consists of plant of hall with three naves of the same height. There are archs of average point in the central nave and aimed in the lateral naves. It presents three types of used supports: fasciculed supports in the central nave, cylindrical supports to both sides of the Presbytery and ringed supports in the interior of the choir. It has starred vaults of "crucería" with fifteen different adornments.
The Greatest Altarpiece, was made between 1.490 and 1.503 and it constitutes a splendid combination of 20 paintings which are distempered on table and 57 polychromatic wood statures. The plan is gothic, following the habitual models of the time. The work of "mazonería" and woodcarvings were made by Gil de Brabante, sculpture of flemish origin that had his factory in Huesca. But the truely exceptional thing of this altarpiece is the wonderful paintings made by the Teacher of Bolea, anonymous painter who, in a still gothic time in Spain, introduces stylistic characteristics in which two currents are united: The Flemish one, by the resolution so correct of the space concept and the appearance of feeling in the expression of the personages and The Italian one, originating of the Quattrocento, that shows of innovating form in Spain the perfect use of the perspective, illumination and shaded. It excels the exceptional colorful of the altarpiece which is totally original and it emphasizes the ample range of red and green tones. The style of the Teacher of Bolea is tie with the work of John of Burgundy, pertaining to the Castilian school.
The Altarpiece of Saint Sebastián was made in 1.503. The structure and the sculpture are works of Gil de Brabante, of flemish influence. The seven tables of the "predela" were painted by Peter of Aponte and Peter of Dezpiota.
The Altarpiece of James is attributed to Damián Forment (1.530). It is an alabaster sculpture which consits a single piece and it is polycromatic. It consists of a bank with the scenes of the Epifany, Descent and Birth of Chryst. It has a body of three streets with the sculptures of Saint Michael, Saint James and Saint John the Baptist. In the lateral ones, there are two big medals with the figures of the prophet Isaiah and the king David.
The other five altarpieces, of profuse decoration, belong to the baroque time (centuries XVII-XVIII). By its singularity, they emphasize those of Saint Vicent and Saint Barbare which are carved in wood of red pine and without polychromatic.
The Choir is sober and elegant (1.540), in walnut wood. Interesting they are the scrolls of the seats of honor, carved with different symbols and some old books written by hand in parchment of century XVII. The organ which belongs to the begining of century XVII, consists of 28 metallic registries, 420 tubes and a keyboard.
The Collegiate Church of Bolea was declared Artistic Historical Monument the 23 of February of 1.983. It belong to the Artistic Patrimony of the Diocese of Huesca and its maintenance, trusteeship and diffusion are the responsibility of the Association of Friends of the Collegiate Church of Bolea (Spain), created by popular initiative in 1.991.
