At the end of the 10th century and during the following hundred years, the Valdelocoya is a land of nobody. In the 1085 the Segovia manors conquer this territory in their progress towards Magerit (Madrid) and starts a process of Christianization and construction of these small churches.

Under the cerro de La Cruz, in the Valle del Lozoya, groups of settlers scattered technical, mostly shepherds, and they would share as place of worship a small chapel or church. On this early construction, made with simple building materials, and on its foundations (as it would happen in other places), would be built, already in the 12th century the Church of Santiago, the Mudejar style with stone and brick. At the time are also the Church of San Mames, Navarredonda, Villavieja...

These not only churches were places of worship, It was also a way to control a disseminated population formed by settlers who came from the North of the peninsula, mainly of Segovia and Navarre. Alongside these churches will form small villages, In addition to other small villages scattered through the meadows that surround the Church.

You would have to imagine a few Territories in which only the light of the Sun, and the Bell of the Church, from dawn until its decline, they marked the daily activity of its inhabitants: Muslims, Jews and Christians, all born in these lands. The offices at the time were those related to work in the field and survival, In addition to agriculture and livestock, were dedicated to; the stonework, tejería, charcoal, Blacksmith, basketry, odreria, candle making, pergamineria, silverware, hondoneros, or mule driving...

Gargantilla de Lozoya was not founded until the middle of the s. XVI.

A HISTORICAL SETTING

It was in this Church of Santiago, where the encounter of the monarch Enrique IV and the Entourage accompanying the girl Juana, with the French Embassy, the 26 October of 1470. Juana, arrived at Royal courtship, from the castle of Buitrago, where was under the custody and protection of D. Iñigo de Mendoza. It takes place as, a singular ceremony, Officiating the prenuptial agreement between the count of Boulogne, representing the Duke of Guyenne, brother of the King of France, with the Princess Joanna, of 8 years of age.

In that same Act, the Castilian nobles swear to the Princess Joanna as legitimate heir to the throne, undoing the title of heiress Isabel, It held since the Pact of Guisando, signed the 18 September of 1468 and that there is no testimony.

THE CHURCH OF SANTIAGO

With regard to the Church of Santiago, its apse is of mudejar style, and the cover is the mudejar Gothic. On the West façade, You can see the sunset, a series of themed funeral inscriptions. Built in stone and brick prior to 1390. The belfry is still showing majestic. It must have been along the s. 17TH, was occurring when the plundering of the baptismal font and the campaigns to reach the current state of ruin. Towards 1785, the parish priest of San Benito de Gargantilla, It describes the ruins with its Tower and two pockets for campaigns. In its immediacy ruins and foundations are