The Gothic style Cathedral of Santa Maria is located on the highest part of the hill on which the original city of Vitoria-Gasteiz was settled. Known also as “The Old Cathedral,” its main entrance is on Santa Maria Plaza .

The Cathedral has a Latin cross floor plan, with three naves with a broad transept and apse. In its interior we find four rectangular chapels, a beautiful and delicate triforium, and a portico from the fourteenth century with noteworthy sculptures. Originally the temple was a church fortress that made up part of the city's medieval defence system. This original building is almost completely preserved in some places, with walls of great width and heights of almost 20 meters.

The Church of Santa Maria , one of the most beautiful gothic cathedrals in Europe , is a story of never-ending change. From the gothic style changes incorporated during the reign of Alfonso X (1252-1284), through the twentieth century, the cathedral has undergone modifications that have transformed it to the point of placing its preservation in danger. Especially harmful was the change from wooden vaults to stone vaults in the sixteenth century. Although there was an attempt to repair the problem in the mid twentieth century, the restoration was ultimately just as damaging to the building.

As a result of these deformations, an impressive restoration effort of the cathedral began in 1997, recognized with prestigious European awards. The construction has served to unearth significant aspects of the medieval history of Vitoria-Gasteiz, and has led to spectacular discoveries, such as a great doorway to the city and the remains of another two previous churches. In addition, the restoration work of the Cathedral has become a worldwide point of reference around which numerous, meetings, seminars, and conferences have been arranged with literary personalities of the stature of Paulo Coelho, Ken Follet, Arturo Pérez Reverte, and José Saramago.

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