This church originates from the Late Romanesque period, similarly to the neighboring Mombuey, from the end of the 12th Century to the beginning of the 13th Century even though it conserves remnants of the Gothic period. It was in this period when it suffered major renovations, changing the East End, adding buttresses on a slant and a triumphal arch in the interior. The church is built with carved ashlars on the corners and reinforcement elements while masonry is used in the rest of the church.
A beautiful bell cote rises up on the exterior where the bell tower is found. On the other side, the doorway is composed of a pointed arch and archivolts. The two carved crosses are worth mentioning, one of them is from Malta and the other has six arms.
The East end has gothic elements, an octagonal based roof and the interior is illuminated through an almond-shaped window. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the northern side was reformed by expanding the nave with round arches. The capitals of the triumphal arch that separate the apse from the rest of the church are decorated with images of the Apostles. At the foot of the church, above two corbels, we can also see an Agnus Dei, Lamb of God, that is missing the cross. There is also a small carving of the Virgin with the Child denominated the “Virgen de la O”. It is believed that this could originate from the 13th century.
The restoration activities focused on the altarpiece, a seventeenth century piece of carved wood, gilded and polychrome prechurrigueresco style.
After performing the studies and tests, the intervention was carried out in situ and consisted of two parts: the conservation treatment and then subsequent restoration. Regarding the former, the main objective has been to restore structural stability to each of the elements of the altarpiece. To achieve this, an anti-xilophagus treatment was carried out, the wooden support was strengthened, parts from the supports in need of reconstruction were built, fragments were reattached, an anticorrosive treatment was applied, and the polychrome layers were reapplied.
The intervention in Sejas de Sanabria is complete with improved illumination of the temple, both on the exterior and in the interior of the building with the objective of installing proper lighting for worship and for visits. To do this, special emphasis has been placed on the sanctuary and the altar, and in the enhancement of the coffered ceiling with geometric shapes. On the other hand, automated lighting at the entrance has been installed to facilitate the movement of worshipers and visitors. Additionally, new wiring was installed and unnecessary wiring was eliminated and unsuitable elements on the façade were also covered up.
The works in the church of Santa Marina, in Sejas de Sanabria (Zamora) have served, among other things, to monitor the temple. It has been included in the Heritage Monitoring System (MHS). The project, developed by the Santa María la Real Foundation and applied to different Atlantic Romanesque churches, is the placement of small sensors that control, in this case, the environmental conditions of the building in order to ensure the conservation of both the temple , and its surroundings, especially the altarpiece and the coffered ceiling.
