Its structure is mainly Gothic, although it has been extended and renovated in later times. The cathedral is a historical monumental complex built between the end of the 12th century and the 14th century on top of the former Santander Abbey also known as the "Abbey of the Holy Bodies" an old monastery dedicated to Saints Emeterius and Celedonius. The church stood on a hill surrounded by water, where the Roman settlement of Puerto de la Victoria was, from the eighth century to keep the relics of the martyrs slaughtered in Calahorra five centuries before.