The Baroque church in Tielmes, dedicated to the Child Saints Justus and Pastor, is the main landmark in this Madrid municipality, located in its most iconic square. This square is home to the oldest public fountain in Tielmes, which dates back to 1872. For years, it was the municipality’s only source of water fit for human consumption. The construction of the church began in the spring of 1637, with Andrés de Palancares and Francisco Gutiérrez as the master builders, using local limestone, which was also used in other important structures in the town.
The initial project suffered a hiatus of more than a century due to the death of its developer, Don Julio César Scazuola y Juzén, in 1651, as well as the subsequent lack of funds and poor local governance. It was not until 1783 that work was resumed under the patronage of Doña Josefa María de Villoria Pacheco de Guzmán y Velarde, the widowed Countess of Pernía. Significant structural modifications were made, including the demolition of part of the chancel wall and the construction of a barrel vault, a barrel vault dome and the third section of the tower.
The church was finally blessed at Pentecost in 1787. Two years later, in 1789, it was elevated to the rank of parish church by the Archbishop of Toledo, Francisco Antonio Lorenzana. A neoclassical high altarpiece was also built in 1787, although it was destroyed in 1965, leaving a space that would later house two stained glass windows (removed in 1996) and a figure of Christ on the cross.
