| Santillana del Mar | |
| Settlement Type: | Municipality |
| Pushpin Map: | Spain |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Spain |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  Spain |
| Subdivision Type1: | Autonomous community |
| Subdivision Type2: | Province |
| Subdivision Name2: | Cantabria |
| Subdivision Type3: | Comarca |
| Subdivision Name3: | Western coast |
| Subdivision Type4: | Judicial district |
| Subdivision Name4: | Torrelavega |
| Seat Type: | Capital |
| Seat: | Santillana del Mar |
| Coordinates: | 43.3933°N -4.1047°W |
| Elevation M: | 82 |
| Elevation Min M: | 0 |
| Elevation Max M: | 275 |
| Area Total Km2: | 28.46 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Blank Name Sec1: | Official language(s) |
| Blank Info Sec1: | Spanish |
| Timezone: | CET |
| Utc Offset: | +1 |
| Timezone Dst: | CEST |
| Utc Offset Dst: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 39330 |
| Area Code Type: | Dialing code |
| Leader Title: | Alcalde |
| Leader Name: | Isidro Rábago León (2007) |
| Leader Party: | PSC-PSOE |
Santillana del Mar (pronounced as /es/) is a historic town situated in Cantabria, Spain. Its many historic buildings attract thousands of visitors every year.
There is an old saying that Santillana del Mar is The Town of Three Lies, since it is neither a Saint (Santo), nor flat (llana), nor is it by the sea (Mar) as implied by its name. However, the name actually derives from Santa Juliana (or Santa Illana) whose remains are kept in the Colegiata, a Romanesque church and former Benedictine monastery. The UNESCO World Heritage Site Cave of Altamira is nearby.[1]
The 3,983 inhabitants (INE, 2006) are distributed as follows:
The municipality of Santillana del Mar has launched the creation of free internet access in the village for both residents and tourists, and has promised broadband connection for the entire municipality. [2]
Santillana (born 1952), footballer
The protagonist of the novel Gil Blas was born in Santillana.
In his philosophical novel La Nausée, Jean-Paul Sartre described Santillana as the prettiest village in Spain ("le plus joli village d'Espagne").