7:50 AM - Isar: Consulta de Isar – view from our rounded balcony shortly after sunrise.
We ate breakfast at Consulta de Isar: scrambled eggs; toast; sliced ham and cheese; jelly; yogurt; pound cake; cookies; coffee/hot chocolate; orange juice.
8:27 AM - Isar: Consulta de Isar – Contour map of Camino Frances in dining/breakfast room.
We departed Isar at 9 am. The owner drove us back to Hornillos del Camino by 9:05.
9:04 AM – Hornillos del Camino: Fuente del Gallo (Rooster Fountain) and Iglesia de San Román.
The Fuente del Gallo (Rooster Fountain) has a rooster on top The rooster is related to the following legend: After the Spanish War of Independence (1808-1814), a group of French soldiers from the defeated armies of Napoleon reached Hornillos on the way back to France, hungry and without food. They sent an advance party to find food. As fate would have it, the inhabitants of Hornillos were in the Mass; so the French took the opportunity to tour the chicken pens and remove all the hens and roosters, then met up in the Plaza de la Fuente (Fountain Square) and hid the dead chickens in their drums. When the people came out of the Mass, they discovered the theft and marched to the square to question the prime suspects. The French refused to admit that they had anything to do with this disappearance, until women began to pray and ask for help from San Antón (St. Anthony). Then a miracle happened when one of the dead roosters began singing from inside a drum, and the wrongdoing of the French was discovered. After that, the rooster became the symbol of the town, and each year on October 2 the Fiesta del Gallo is celebrated.
The 14th-century Gothic Iglesia de San Román was built on the site of an ancient Iron Age castro (fortress). The church is what remains of the ancient chapel of the monastery.
9:11 AM – Hornillos del Camino: mural of pilgrim with rooster on Camino marker.
Shortly after Hornillos del Camino, as we traveled farther on the Meseta, we met an Italian couple, Fausto and Flaviana Agea, from Rome, and walked with them past Arroyo San Bol and as far as Hontanas. Fausto was a yoga instructor.
10:09 AM – After Hornillos del Camino: Fausto, Flaviana, and MT on Meseta, with wind turbines on horizon.
10:09 AM – After Hornillos del Camino: Fausto, Flaviana, and MT (facing camera and close up) on Meseta.
About 5 km after Hornillos, we passed Arrroyo San Bol.
10:16 AM – Approaching San Bol: Albergue Arroyo de San Bol and monastery ruins (in shade of clump of trees just left of center) in distance on Meseta.
In the valley called Arroyo San Bol, there used to be a hamlet called San Baudilo, and during the 14th and 15th centuries there was a pilgrim hospital called San Boal run by the Antonin monks. There was also an Antonin monastery dedicated to San Boal (or San Baudilo) that was founded before 1068; it was abandoned in the 15th century and its ruins remain. For some reason (possibly an epidemic), the hamlet was abandoned in the early 16th century (1503), and no trace of it remains. What does remain is a very small albergue “Municipal” Arroyo San Bol, which used to be run by hippie volunteers, and it still has a hippie feeling, although it is now managed by the Santa Brigida albergue in Hontanas. It is in a small oasis watered by an icy spring.
10:17 AM – Near San Bol: Templar cross and sign for San Bol albergue 800 m off the Camino route to left (guidebooks say 200 m).
11:30 AM – Near Hontanas: Flaviana, MT, and Fausto at top of hill before Hontanas.
11:29 AM – Near Hontanas: view from top of hill on path; camino marker, yellow arrows, and sign for “Piscinas Bar Relajación” (telephoto, 112 mm).
11:30 AM – Near Hontanas: Camino signs, 4 yellow arrows and 2 shells pointing the way (as if there were any choice); and sign for “Piscinas Bar Relajación” at top of hill with Hontanas in distance. (There was a municipal swimming pool [piscina] at the far end of town; that and the bar would provide relaxation [relajación].)
11:30 AM – Near Hontanas: Don, Fausto, and Flaviana on path near Hontanas.
11:33 AM – Near Hontanas: view of town from top of hill (closer); note the Camino path continuing uphill after Hontanas.
11:34 AM – Near Hontanas: view of Hontanas down hill and sign for Ermita de Santa Brigida in park to right, above the path.
Hontanas: Ermita Santa Brigida (https://www.flickr.com/photos/cefepe_/15722993889 or https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8567/15722993889_1a8f9f2ec6_b.jpg).
11:35 AM – Near Hontanas: Ermita de Santa Brigida – statue of St. Bridget and sign for “Santa Brigida de Suecia (Saint Bridget of Sweden)” in hermitage.
11:35 AM – Near Hontanas: Ermita de Santa Brigida – Flaviana and Don outside hermitage (open wrought iron gate has [reversed] “1352”).
11:36 AM – Near Hontanas: view from Ermita de Santa Brigida of road into town.
We stopped in Hontanas (pop 80) 11:44-12:00 for orange juice and baño at Albergue/Bar El Puntido, where we got sellos.
The town name Hontanas derives from its history as a Jacobean haven of fountains or springs (fontanas), of which there are a large number in the area.
11:39 AM – Hontanas: man on crane taking old tiles off roof of building being remodeled, near Church of the Immaculate Conception (church tower in background) (telephoto, 186 mm).
11:40 AM – Hontanas: – Hontanas: man on crane with stack of old tiles off roof of building being remodeled, near Church of the Immaculate Conception (MT in background).
11:42 AM – Hontanas: Iglesia de la Señora de la Concepción (aka Iglesia de La Inmaculada Concepción), façade and tower with bells and clock.
The 14th-century Iglesia de la Señora de la Concepción (aka Iglesia de La Inmaculada Concepción, Church of the Conception, known in earlier times as Santa María), originally in Gothic style but later added neoclassical elements. The large tower is from that later period. The church dominates the tiny village square.
He stopped at Albergue Restaurante El Puntido for fruit juice.
11:44 AM – Hontanas: Albergue Restaurante El Puntido; sign shows temperature of 25° C [77° F].
12:09 PM – Hontanas: house with flowers in window.
We departed Hontanas around 12:10.
12:17 PM – After Hontanas: MT on path with white arrow on Camino sign pointing to right; Don jokingly said the steep rock path up the hill ahead was part of the Camino (then we worried that it really was, but it turned out not to be).
12:16 PM - After Hontanas: Don jokingly said the steep rock path up this hill was part of the Camino (telephoto, 186 mm).
12:20 PM – After Hontanas: Thank God, there was another Camino marker with white arrow telling us to turn off down to the left (as the pilgrim ahead of us was doing) just before that uphill path.
After Hontanas, on a deserted hillside, we saw what looked like the corner (or a buttress?) of a ruined stone building [www.hontanas.es specifically identifies this as the corner of a wall that is all that remains of the medieval Iglesia de San Vicente]. This was possibly part of the long abandoned village of San Miguel.
12:44 PM – After Hontanas: standing corner of ruined Iglesia de San Vicente; we did not have to take the narrow path up to it.
12:55 PM – After Hontanas: sign for Casa Rural El Veredero (where we had reserved) in Castrojeriz; prices added by hand showed 38€ for double room with bath.
12:58 PM – After Hontanas: plowed strip of rocky, gray soil in field of wheat stubble next to Camino path.
We arrived at the Arco San Antón at 1:32 and got a sello in the albergue that was in the back side of the ruined 14th-century Monasterio de San Antón.
The Monasterio de San Antón (aka Convento de San Antón) was founded at the behest of King Alfonso VII in 1146, but the present Gothic ruins are mainly from the 14th and 15th centuries, and the arch is from the 16th century. This was the ancient monastery and hospice of the Antonine Order (Orden de los Antonianos) founded in France in 1093 and connected to the work of the hermit Saint Anthony of Egypt (San Antón Abad), patron saint of animals and usually depicted with a pig at his feet. The order’s sacred symbol was the T-shaped cross known as the Tau—19th letter of the Greek alphabet and symbolizing divine protection against evil and sickness. The Tau was increasingly referred to and worn as the Pilgrim Cross (Cruz del Peregrino). The Antonianos at San Antón dedicated themselves to caring for the sick who came there on the Camino de Santiago. They specialized in treating a disease known as Fuego de San Antón (St. Anthony’s Fire), which caused a sensation of burning inside the body of its victims. This plague, whose onset is documented in the 10th century, reached epidemic proportions from the 11th to 14th centuries. They were also skilled healers of a disease with similar symptoms, known as Peste Porcina (Swine Fever). This is why San Antón is represented in iconography by fire and with a pig at his side. The decline of the monastery began in the 18th century, until it was permanently abandoned in 1787 and Carlos III delegated it to private ownership in 1791.
Saint Anthony the Great (c. 251-356 AD), also known as Saint Anthony or Anthony of Egypt, Anthony the Abbot (San Antón Abad), Anthony of the Desert, Anthony the Anchorite, Anthony of Thebes, Abba Antonius, and Father of All Monks, was a Christian saint from Egypt, a disciple of the hermit Paul of Thebes and a prominent leader among the Desert Fathers. He is often erroneously considered the first monk, but there were many ascetics before him. However, they retired just to isolated locations on the outskirts of cities, and none of them started a spontaneous monastic religious movement. Anthony was, however, the first known ascetic going into the wilderness (about AD 270-271), where his anchoretic lifestyle was remarkably harsher than that of his predecessors. He became the inspiration for hundreds of men and women going into the depths of the desert. Although Anthony himself lived in solitude and did not try to organize or create a monastery, a community grew around him based on his example of living an ascetic and isolated life. His would-be disciples lived in scattered cells, each inhabited by a solitary monk; some of the later settlements may have been loosely organized into small communities. Around 305, after living in total solitude for some 20 years, Anthony emerged from his retreat and devoted himself for 5 or 6 years to the instruction and organization of the great body of monks that had grown up around him. Anthony did not stay with any of his foundations long, but visited them from time to time. His rule represented one of the first attempts to codify guidelines for monastic living. Then he again withdrew to seclusion in the desert between the Nile and the Red Sea, where he spent his last 45 years. Accounts of Anthony enduring supernatural temptation during his sojourn in the Eastern Desert of Egypt inspired the often-repeated subject of the “Temptation of St. Anthony” in Western art and literature. Anthony is appealed to against infectious diseases, particularly skin diseases. In the past, many such afflictions, including ergotism, erysipelas, and shingles, were historically referred to as St. Anthony’s fire.
The Orden de los Caballeros del Hospital de San Antonio (Order of the Knights of the Hospital of St. Anthony), also known as Hermanos Hospitalarios de San Antón (Hospitaller Brothers of St. Anthony) was founded in 1095 in order to care for those suffering from the, by then very common, medieval disease known as St. Anthony’s fire. Initially a secular order, it was sanctioned as a monastic order in 1218 and as a religious order in 1248. In 1777, the greatly reduced congregation was canonically attached to the Order of Malta. In Spain, the Order was extinguished at the request of King Carlos III by a papal brief published in 1791, dividing its assets and income among hospitals, local churches, and town halls, which were charged with continuing the service provided by the Order to care for the sick.
1:32 PM – San Antón: approaching arch, with stone wall on right.
1:32 PM – San Antón: ruins of convent church and arch; a Belgian lady we had met earlier was sitting under the Tau sign at the left, which pointed around back to the Refugio de Peregrinos. (Refugio is another term for an albergue.)
1:32 PM – San Antón: arch and, at right, another Tau on Camino marker stone labeled “San Antón” and sign “Ruinas del Convento de San Antón – Siglo XV.”
1:32 PM – San Antón: arch; hidden in bushes at right was a Camino sign with a white arrow pointing the way ahead through the arch (see red circle).
1:32 PM (Cropped) – San Antón: arch; cropped to show a Camino sign hidden in bushes at right with a white arrow pointing the way ahead through the arch (see red circle).
1:34 PM – San Antón: Don by sign “Ruinas del Convento de San Antón – Siglo XV.”
1:37 PM – San Antón: MT by stone Camino marker with “San Antón” and Tau.
1:38 PM – San Antón: Albergue entrance around back and inside church ruins.
1:38 PM – San Antón: inside of church, to left of albergue.
1:39 PM – San Antón: farther to left, view into apse end of church with rose window.
1:44 PM – San Antón: wider angle, showing inside of apse end with rose window and the part with the albergue entrance.
1:39 PM – San Antón: church ruins to right of albergue, where a young man gave us sellos.
1:44 PM – San Antón: young man who gave us sellos. with Tau water jug.
1:39 PM – San Antón: sign in albergue area: “VIII Centenario de la Peregrinación San Francisco de Asís a Santiago de Compostela – 2014” (800th Anniversary of the Pilgrimage of St. Francis of Assisi to Santiago de Compostela – 2014).
1:45 PM – San Antón: near sello table – niche in wall.
In medieval times, those pilgrims who arrived late were left food in little niches in the walls. Today, many pilgrims write notes and put these into the niches held down by pebbles.
1:45 PM – San Antón: close-up of that niche with toy medieval knight and message on rock: “We are fabulous.”
1:50 PM – San Antón: historical marker (in bushes next to hidden Camino arrow marker on left side of arch) for “Ruinas del Convento de San Antón S. XIV” (Ruins of San Anton Convent 14th Century) – English part: “The convent was founded in 1146 under the patronage of King Alfonso VII. Former main Preceptory of the Antonian monks in Spain. This order was dedicated to the care of pilgrims and to cure those who suffered from the ‘Fire of San Anton,’ a disease that spread during the Middle Ages. They helped pilgrims and were conferred with the Cross of Tau as a sign of protection against evil on the way. Once the order had disappeared in 1787, some of its possessions were consigned to the collegiate church, whilst the rest, due to the effects of the Ecclesiastical Confiscations of Mendizábal in 1835, passed into private hands. Since 2002 a pilgrim shelter has been in operation here.
“The entrance to this convent was protected by an elevated 16th century arch. A magnificent gothic façade is still standing as well as the impressive ogival windows of the church’s apse. The baroque altarpiece is preserved in the church of San Juan Bautista.”
[References are apparently to the Ex-Colegiata de Santa María del Manzano and the Iglesia de San Juan Bautista, both in Castrojeriz.]
1:50 PM – San Antón: MT and old doorway (now sealed) under the arch.
1:51 PM – San Antón: looking back at the arch and the outside of the church apse with rose window.
We departed Arco de San Antón at 1:50. Very soon, we could start to see the Castillo on the hill above Castrojeriz.
2:02 PM – After San Antón: “ESTOPA” sign.
2:01 PM – After San Antón: first view of Castrojeriz; Castillo on hill behind town; Iglesia de Santo Domingo at left and Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Manzano at right (telephoto, 112 mm).
We arrived in Castrojeriz (pop 1,000) at 2:30.
Castrojeriz is the last town on the Camino in the Province of Burgos. Like many others along the Camino, it is a pueblo calle (town-street), which basically means that the village is built around one main street. It is laid out in one 2–km-long straggling line (basically crescent-shaped) between the road and the hill; it takes a good 20 minutes to walk its length. In 1497, a German author noted that pilgrims rightly called this “the long town.”
Its active past is evident in its ruined castles and monasteries/convents. There has been a village in this area since Celtic times. It was a Roman town, possibly founded by Julius Caesar, built in layers around a hilltop fort. The Romans used this vantage point to protect the route to their gold mines in nearby Astorga. Castrojeriz was a fortified town castrum with remains of Roman and Visigothic castros and scene of much fighting between Christians and Moors in the 9th and 10th centuries. In 882, the village was repopulated after being destroyed by the Moors. The town changed hands several times before being definitively reconquered in 912. It rose to prominence during the Reconquista, but it was the coming of the Camino de Santiago in the Middle Ages that brought Castrojeriz its prosperity. During the 11th century, it became a royal residence and was considered one of the major stopping places on the medieval Camino with no less than 8 pilgrim hospitals (7 of which were still operating in the early 19th century), 3 convents (of which one remains), the 3 churches we still see, and a fourth Iglesia de San Esteban (on whose remains a pilgrim hostel was recently built). The town wall, which descended from the castle, was built in 1212 surrounding the town but leaving out some neighborhoods. Most of the wall disappeared in the 18th century and, of what was once a walled town, only vestiges remain in the form of a piece of wall opposite the site of the former Iglesia de Santiago [sic!].
2:23 PM – Castrojeriz: Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Manzano, framed by trees near city limit.
At the near end of town was Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Manzano (Our Lady of the Apple Tree, aka Ex-Colegiata Santa María del Manzano) in the neighborhood (barrio) Santa María del Manzano outside the old city wall. It is the oldest religious edifice in Castrojeriz, with origins that may go back as far as the 9th century. In the past, it held the rank of collegiate (an important church with a chapter [a college of clerics], without being a cathedral, overseen by a dean, prior or, in this case, a Benedictine abbot). The first reference to la real colegiata de Nuestra Señora del Manzano dates from the 11th century. From 1050 to 1173, it was renamed Abadía [abbey] de Santa María de Castro. Construction of the current building was started in 1214 in the ogival Romanesque style (Gothic-arched Romanesque transitional style), with reforms in the mid-13th, 15th and 18th centuries. The espadaña (bell gable, but without a bell) was added in the 18th century. Legend says that, as Santiago was passing by here, he saw an image of the Virgin in an apple tree; he was so excited that he leapt heavily onto his horse, leaving behind hoof prints that can be seen embedded in rock just outside south door of the church.
2:25 PM – Castrojeriz: city limit sign; just past that, at the crucero, the Camino bears off the road to the right; Castillo on hill and Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Manzano.
2:26 PM – Castrojeriz: Don with city limit sign.
2:27 PM – Castrojeriz: MT under city limit sign.
2:27 PM – Castrojeriz: MT stretching on city limit sign; Castillo and Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Manzano.
2:30 PM – Castrojeriz: Camino sign for Castrojeriz and Camino marker with shell and yellow arrow; Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Manzano.
2:25 PM – Castrojeriz: Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Manzano – apse end from road near city limit (telephoto, 112 mm).
2:32 PM – Castrojeriz: Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Manzano - apse end from near Hostal El Manzano.
The original apse disappeared after remodeling in the 18th century, when it was replaced by the current rectangular apse.
2:35 PM – Castrojeriz: Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Manzano - façade and tower.
The main entrance (west door) is Gothic, flanked by two large 13th-century Gothic sculptures representing the Virgin Mary and Archangel Gabriel at the Annunciation. The rose window has 15th-century stained glass.
2:34 PM – Castrojeriz: Bar-Hostal El Manzano (where we stayed last year) across the street from Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Manzano [el manzano = apple tree; la manzana = apple].
2:35 PM – Castrojeriz: stone wall with flowers.
2:40 PM – Castrojeriz: Castillo from walkway/street into town (telephoto, 220 mm).
The first construction of the Castillo was in the 9th century (Romanesque, of which only one quadrangular tower remains) over Roman foundations (possibly built by Julius Caesar in 46 BC), followed by Visigoth additions and a part in the 14th century. Some say it was built by the Visigoth King Sigerici circa 760 and called Castro Sigerici or Castrojeriz, from which the town gets its name. The Visigothic fort was destroyed in the Muslim conquest. Christians and Muslims disputed the hill for centuries until the Christians finally won out, The castle was rebuilt in the Middle Ages by the Condes de Castro (Counts of Castro), and later it served as the home of the Díaz de Mendoza family. The current ruins are the result of the Earthquake of Lisbon in 1755. The hill beneath the castle is honeycombed with tunnels containing bodegas built to keep wine cool.
We went to our reserved place at the (new) Casa Rural El Veredero, at Calle Real de Oriente 72, where we had a double room with bath for 38€ (we never got a receipt). We also paid 3.50€ to use their washing machine and hung our clothes on their line (after showers). We originally planned to also eat breakfast there for 3.50 € each. We got sellos, but had them dated for the next day, since we already had 2 for Sep 1.
5:09 PM – Castrojeriz: Casa Rural El Veredero exterior, with signs, as we approached from E on Camino pavement.
5:06 PM – Castrojeriz: Casa Rural El Veredero exterior from W – MT in our window on corner of 1st [US 2nd] floor.
5:06 PM – Castrojeriz: Casa Rural El Veredero – MT in our window on corner of 1st [US 2nd] floor with flowers (telephoto, 133 mm).
2:57 PM – Castrojeriz: Casa Rural El Veredero – our room, with door to bathroom (the old basin was for decoration only) and window overlooking street.
2:57 PM – Castrojeriz: Casa Rural El Veredero – our room, with open door to top of stairs.
2:59 PM – Castrojeriz: Casa Rural El Veredero – window in our room, with flowers, where MT stood overlooking street.
4:18 PM – Castrojeriz: Casa Rural El Veredero – view of back of Iglesia de Santo Domingo, from our other (bathroom) window around corner.
4:56 PM – Castrojeriz: Casa Rural El Veredero – view from 1st [US 2nd] floor landing (flash).
4:56 PM – Castrojeriz: Casa Rural El Veredero – view from 1st [US 2nd] floor landing (no flash).
4:57 PM – Castrojeriz: Casa Rural El Veredero – view from 1st [US 2nd] floor landing (without window frame).
4:56 PM – Castrojeriz: Casa Rural El Veredero – staircase to ground floor and 2nd [US 3rd] floor from landing on 1st [US 2nd] floor.
4:58 PM – Castrojeriz: Casa Rural El Veredero – staircase from ground floor to 1st [US 2nd] floor and from 1st [US 2nd] to 2nd [US 3rd] floor.
Around 5 pm, Don went out to look around town, look for places to eat, and take photos.
5:09 PM – Castrojeriz: MT took Don’s picture (from our balcony) as he set out to see the town.
As Don continued west on Calle Real de Oriente, the first thing he encountered was Iglesia de Santo Domingo.
The 15th-century Iglesia de Santo Domingo combines Gothic, Baroque, and Plateresque styles. The Renaissance south portal in the Spanish Plateresque style is from the second half of the 16th century. The tower with bells was added in 1759. The side of the church is decorated with slightly gruesome carved sculls, to warn passers-by of the inevitability of death. The church is now a museum housing Romanesque and Gothic Virgins. It once housed a famous set of 6 large 17th-century Bruges [Flemish] tapestries following the designs of a disciple of Rubens, which has now been moved to Iglesia de San Juan.
5:10 PM – Castrojeriz: pavement of Calle Real de Oriente from near Iglesia de Santo Domingo, looking back to CR El Veredero on right.
5:13 PM – Castrojeriz: Iglesia de Santo Domingo west façade and bell tower.
5:12 PM – Castrojeriz: Iglesia de Santo Domingo – 16th-century Renaissance south side portal with Virgin and Child at top.
5:12 PM – Castrojeriz: Iglesia de Santo Domingo – sculls and crossbones on wall near south side door.
5:12 PM – Castrojeriz: sign for “Iglesia de Santo Domingo” with Spanish text that translates: [It is of Gothic style, although its vaults and its main altarpiece in the Neoclassical style belong to the 18th century.
The Mudéjar wood paneled ceiling that covered it was replaced by stone vaults.
It has a beautiful portal of Spanish Plateresque style from the second half of the 16th century.
Attached to this church is the Museum of Sacred Art.]
Surrounding sidebars are about Plaza Mayor, Iglesia de San Juan, Vista del Castillo, and Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Manzano. Across the bottom are callouts for Iglesia de San Juan, Casa de Gutiérrez Barona, Palacio de los Condes de Castro, Ruinas del monasterio de San Francisco, Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Manzano, and Ruinas del convento de San Antón.
Don passed Restaurante-Pensión La Taberna, where we ate last year, but it was closed.
5:15 PM – Castrojeriz: Pension La Taberna (closed).
Then Calle Real de Oriente led into the Plaza Mayor, with the city hall and an arcade of columns from the 16th century.
5:21 PM – Castrojeriz: sign for “Plaza Mayor” with Spanish text that translates: [Castrojeriz has an arcaded Plaza Mayor (main square), presided over by the Town Hall, with a curious disposition elongated according to the town road (la villa caminera).
In it, markets of the town were held, and it still preserves the remains of the columns that belong to the 16th century. Later, the use of brick gave rise to buildings of a remarkable taste.
By its style, we would place it in the 17th century, although it has been renovated on the inside to give it greater functionality, hosting the archives and offices of the municipality.]
Surrounding sidebars are for Camino al castillo, Iglesia de San Juan, Iglesia de Santo Domingo, and Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Manzano. Across the bottom are callouts for Iglesia de San Juan, Casa de Gutiérrez Barona, Palacio de los Condes de Castro, Ruinas del monasterio de San Francisco, Iglesia de Santo Domingo, Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Manzano, and Ruinas del convento de San Antón.
5:22 PM – Castrojeriz: Plaza Mayor with Ayuntamiento (Town Hall, with a curious clock tower) at end (right).
Calle Real de Oriente eventually led to Iglesia de San Juan Bautista at the far end of town, where Don checked on Mass time (7:30 pm).
5:37 PM – Castrojeriz: Iglesia de San Juan –schedule of mass times and hours for visiting for “Iglesia de S. Juan Bautista” on church door (also a schedule for laudes, mass, rosary, and vespers at Monasterio de Santa Clara [half a km to left as we entered town]).
Since La Taberna was closed, Don began to look for other places to eat as he headed back east on the lower thoroughfare (Calle Cordón and then Paseo Puerta del Monte).
5:46 PM – Castrojeriz: chalkboard sign for 10€ menú peregrino.
On one street corner, he saw a chalkboard sign advertising a 10€ menú peregrino. The sign did not give the name of the restaurant, but had an arrow pointing to the right. Don turned right and eventually found Hotel Restaurante Jacobus, which was down the hill to the right and around to the left, on Paseo Puerta del Monte.
5:47 PM – Castrojeriz: 10€ menu in Spanish, French, and English posted outside 2-star “Hotel Restaurante Jacobus.”
5:48 PM – Castrojeriz: Hotel Restaurante Jacobus exterior; sign says “Bar Restaurante Jacobus.”
6:07 PM – Castrojeriz: Restaurante Jacobus from street below.
Down the hill from Restaurante Jacobus, Don encountered part of the old city wall.
5:52 PM – Castrojeriz: old city wall to right of bottom of steps down from Hotel Restaurante Jacobus.
Then, on Calle Cordón, Don found Hostal Restaurante El Mesón de Castrojeriz, which had been recommended by the lady at our CR El Veredero.
5:56 PM – Castrojeriz: Hostal Restaurante El Mesón de Castrojeriz exterior.
Also at that lower level, there was a statue of a pilgrim. Unfortunately, workers were in the process of re-tarring the parking lot around it; so Don had to settle for a telephoto picture. Back to the east, there was more of the old city wall.
6:01 PM – Castrojeriz: pilgrim statue (telephoto 76 mm).
Castrojeriz: pilgrim statue. The plaque, in Spanish, on the statue’s pedestal translates: [Homage to those who for 1000 years have given form and spirit to the camino – Castrojeriz, 15 September 2001] (www.pinterest.com).
6:10 PM – Castrojeriz: more of old city wall.
6:11 PM – Castrojeriz: city wall.
Just after that section of city wall, there was more re-tarring of the street back toward our CR; so Don had to navigate on top of a shorter wall to get through.
6:13 PM – Castrojeriz: city wall and Iglesia de Santo Domingo.
6:16 PM – Castrojeriz: back on our street (Calle Real de Oriente) just past Iglesia de Santo Domingo (left); Castillo in sun on hilltop.
When Don got back up to Calle Real de Oriente, he unexpectedly found a great view of the Castillo in the late afternoon sun.
6:16 PM – Castrojeriz: Castillo from Calle Real de Oriente (telephoto, 260 mm).
The temperature at 6:15 pm was 33˚ C [91.4° F]. The lady at CR El Veredero called Frómista for us and reserved a double room for 45€ at the (new) Hostal Pedro, for which we had seen a brochure at El Veredero. (However, we later had to cancel that reservation.)
We went to mass at the Iglesia de San Juan Bautista at 7:30 pm.
The Iglesia de San Juan Bautista (aka Iglesia de San Juan de los Caballeros) was built between the 13th and 16th centuries. It began as a work of the primitive (early) Gothic of the 13th century, marked by the military appearance of its exterior as a fortified church, stripped of external decoration. The church was much renovated in the 15th and 16th centuries. The dual system of buttresses gives it an appearance more like a castle than a church; that and the slender tower of military character are all that remain of the original Romanesque church. The tower, with 5 bodies, is Romanesque at its base, but the top part has pointed Gothic windows and is crowned by 5 pinnacles. The interior has beautiful Mudéjar coffered ceilings. The impressive Gothic cloister was not added until the 15th century [according to brochure from Turismo de Castilla y León] or 14th century [according to sign outside church].
5:32 PM – Castrojeriz: Iglesia de San Juan sign, with Spanish text that translates: [In the first third of the 16th century, Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón, architect of the cathedrals of Salamanca, Segovia, and Plasencia, raised a church of new shape, in the German Gothic style, “salon style,” because the three naves are at the same height as the central nave.
Slender naves and columns, without capitals, from which depart the ribs that form the vaults of the crossing.
Highlights of the church: the cloister from the 14th century and the Chapels of St. Anne and the Sweet Name of Jesus.]
Surrounding sidebars are for Plaza Mayor, Iglesia de Santo Domingo, and Subida al castillo. Across the bottom are callouts for Casa de Gutiérrez Barona, Palacio de los Condes de Castro, Ruinas del monasterio de San Francisco, Iglesia de Santo Domingo, Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Manzano, and Ruinas del convento de San Antón.
5:34 PM – Castrojeriz: Iglesia de San Juan – façade and tower.
The Romanesque window in the lower body of the tower has survived from the 13th century, but the top part (with pointed windows) and pinnacles are Gothic.
5:35 PM – Castrojeriz: Iglesia de San Juan – view from street below, showing dual system of buttresses, with steps toward side with entrance.
5:36 PM – Castrojeriz: Iglesia de San Juan – view from terrace below of side with entrance.
5:36 PM – Castrojeriz: Iglesia de San Juan – historical marker for “Iglesia de San Juan” (Church of San Juan) – English part: “Erected in the 14th century on Romanesque remains. In the 16th century it was rebuilt under the responsibility of Rodrigo Gil de Hontañon. The slender naves and columns are noteworthy without capital from where the ribs arise which form the admirable ribbed vaults. From the primitive gothic church, three galleries of the magnificent cloister are conserved. The cloister itself was composed of columns in pairs and was covered by a superb Mudéjar roof – remains of the primitive polychrome can still be seen.
“In the interior we can find a tapestry collection made after cartoons by the Flemish painter Corneille Schutz and manufactured in workshops in Bruges around 1654. All of them represent liberal arts and sciences. They could formerly be found in the church of Santo Domingo.”
[A brochure from Junta de Castilla y León turismo office says the church was begun in the 13th century, but one from Ayuntamiento de Castrojeriz says its origins were in the 14th century.]
6:51 PM – Castrojeriz: Iglesia de San Juan – statue of Santiago Apóstol.
6:52 PM – Castrojeriz: Iglesia de San Juan – side altar of the Resurrected Christ (early 17th century): Crucifixion at top center; Resurrected Christ in lower center; St. Bartholomew at lower left; Archangel Michael at lower right.
6:53 PM – Castrojeriz: Iglesia de San Juan sign for “Retablo de Cristo Resucitado – Retablo de la Cofradía del Pilar” [Altar of Resurrected Christ – Altar of the Brotherhood of Pilar]; Spanish text translates as: [Classicist altarpiece executed at the beginning of the 17th century.
This work still maintains the characteristic elements of the late Renaissance; however, the sculptures start to show the features of Baroque naturalism.]
6:54 PM – Castrojeriz: Iglesia de San Juan – Baroque main altar before mass (MT in pew on left).
6:56 PM (Cropped) – Castrojeriz: Iglesia de San Juan – Baroque main altar illuminated just before mass. Sculpture of John the Baptist in center, flanked by his parents, with St. Zacharias on left and St. Isabel (Elizabeth) on right, and Assumption of the Virgin at the top, scenes from life of St. Anthony at bottom left and right.
6:56 PM – Castrojeriz: Iglesia de San Juan – statue of John the Baptist in center of main altar (telephoto, 156 mm).
6:55 PM – Castrojeriz: Iglesia de San Juan – side altar Retablo de la Virgen del Carmen with large statue of Virgin and Child, with another (smaller and perhaps older) Virgin and Child above it, and San Roque to left.
6:54 PM – Castrojeriz: Iglesia de San Juan – statue of San Roque on same side altar.
At mass, the priest played for pilgrims but did not invite us for a sello or cloister tour as last year.
After mass, we started toward the 2 restaurants Don had found (Restaurante Jacobus and Mesón de Castrojeriz, both with 10€ menus). However, before we reached either, we passed Bar El Lagar (lagar = place where wine is made, winery) in Calle del Cordón, which had a sign for “Menus.” When Don mentioned that the Jacobus menu said “copa de vino,” MT decided to ask in El Lagar; they included a whole bottle of wine, so we ate there. The lady explained that there used to be a bodega downstairs, and the big beam in the bar was for the wine press. We got the 10€ menu there: 1st course: we split cooked vegetables and paella con mariscos (paella with seafood: shrimp, mussels, and [few] scallops); 2nd course: both had pimientos rellenos con gambas y bacalao (peppers stuffed with shrimp and cod); dessert: both had ice cream (she also gave us 2 monjas de la clausura (nuns of the cloister) made of chocolate-covered nuts; bottle of wine; water, bread. We were the only customers at this hour.
7:46 PM – Castrojeriz: Bar El Lagar exterior.
7:39 PM – Castrojeriz: Bar El Lagar – wine press by entrance.
7:40 PM – Castrojeriz: Bar El Lagar - winepress screw with long beam running the length of the bar (MT at our table at far end).
7:40 PM – Castrojeriz: Bar El Lagar - picture on wall of wine press in operation (close-up).
7:41 PM – Castrojeriz: Bar El Lagar – large beam over dining area.
7:42 PM – Castrojeriz: Bar El Lagar – Don at our table.
7:42 PM – Castrojeriz: Bar El Lagar – beam over our table to the back wall.
8:49 PM [taken at 744 PM] – Castrojeriz: Bar El Lagar – the owner and cook.
7:46 PM – Castrojeriz: Bar El Lagar – our bottle of Burgos wine.
7:47 PM – Castrojeriz: Bar El Lagar – MT with Burgos wine, cooked vegetables (in front of her) and paella con mariscos (at Don’s place) before we shared them.
8:06 PM – Castrojeriz: Bar El Lagar – MT’s ice cream and the (free) monjas de la clausura.
8:06 PM – Castrojeriz: Bar El Lagar – close-up of monjas de la clausura.
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