Page 374 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Spain

372  CENTR AL SP AIN

Castilla y León’s Environs
Baños de Cerrato, 12 km (7 miles)
Fiestas to the south, boasts the tiny
El Colacho (Sun after Corpus Visigothic Iglesia de San Juan
Christi, May/Jun), Castrillo Bautista, founded in 661. It is
de Murcia (Burgos). Babies alleged to be the oldest intact
born dur ing the previous 12 church in Spain. Carved capitals
months are dressed in their and horseshoe arches decorate
best Sunday clothes and laid the interior.
on mattresses in the streets.
Crowds of people, includ ing
the anxious parents, watch as f Frómista
El Colacho – a man dressed
in a bright red and yellow Palencia. * 820. £ @ n Barrio
costume – jumps over the del Canal s/n, 672 14 69 94. ( Fri.
babies in order to free them _ San Telmo (week after Easter).
from illnesses, especially The beautiful carved retrochoir of ∑ fromista.es
hernias. He is said to represent Palencia Cathedral
the Devil fleeing from the d Palencia This town on the Road to
sight of the Eucharist. This Santiago de Compostela (see
ritual is thought to have Palencia. * 81,200. £ @ n Calle pp86–7) is the site of one of
originated in 1621. Mayor 31, 979 70 65 23. ( Tue, Wed. Spain’s purest Romanesque
_ Virgen de la Calle (2 Feb). 8 churches. The Iglesia de San
∑ palenciaturismo.es Martín is the highlight of the
town, partly due to a restora tion
In medieval times, Palencia was in 1904, leaving the church,
a royal residence and the site of dating from 1066, entirely
Spain’s first university, founded Romanesque in style. The
in 1208. The city grad ually presence of Pagan and Roman
diminished in importance motifs suggest it may have
following its involvement in pre-Christian origins. Nearby,
the failed revolt of the Castilian the Iglesia de San Pedro has
towns of 1520 (see p62). notable Renais sance and
Although Palencia has since Gothic sculptures.
expanded considerably on
profits from coal and wheat, its Environs
centre, by the old stone bridge Carrión de los Condes, 20 km
El Colacho jumping over babies in over the Río Carrión, remains (12 miles) to the northwest, is
Castrillo de Murcia almost village-like. also on the Road to Santiago.
The city’s main sight is the The frieze on the door of the
St Agatha’s Day (Sun closest cathedral, known as La Bella Iglesia de Santiago depicts
to 5 Feb), Zamarramala Desconocida (the Unknown not religious figures but local
(Segovia). Every year two Beauty). It is especially worth arti sans. There are carvings
women are elected as a visit for its superb works of of bulls on the façade of
mayoresses to run the village art, many the result of Bishop the 12th-century Iglesia
on the day of St Agatha, Fonseca’s generous patronage. de Santa María del Camino.
patron saint of married The retrochoir, exquisitely The Monasterio de San Zoilo
women. They ceremonially sculpted by Gil de Siloé and has a Gothic cloister and now
burn a stuffed figure
representing a man. Simon of Cologne, and the two operates as a hotel.
Good Friday, Valladolid. altarpieces, are also note worthy.
The procession of 28 multi- The altarpiece above the high
coloured sculptures, which altar was carved by Philippe de
depict various scenes of Bigarny early in the 16th century.
the Passion, is one of the The inset panels are by Juan de
most spectacular in Spain. Flandes, Isabel I’s court painter.
Fire-walking (23 Jun), Behind the high altar is the Chapel
San Pedro Manrique (Soria). of the Holy Sacrament, with an
Men, some carrying people altarpiece dating from 1529 by
on their backs, walk barefoot Valmaseda. In this chapel, high
over burning embers. on a ledge to the left, is the
It is said that only local colourful tomb of Doña Urraca
people can do this of Navarra. Below the retrochoir,
without being burned.
a Plateresque (see p29) staircase
leads down to the fine Interior of the Iglesia de San Juan Bautista
Visigothic crypt. at Baños de Cerrato
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp569–70 and pp594–5

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