Video: Flying Over Belorado
Source: YouTube Channel PROYOU DIGITAL: Flying Over Belorado (Burgos)
Of Celtiberian origin, the town of Belorado (Burgos Province) is one of the main landmarks on the Way of St James. It lies just over 40 kilometres from Burgos, in the Montes de Oca district near La Rioja, and is known as the capital of La Riojilla Burgalesa. In earlier times it was a place that guarded the way through, once marking the frontier against the Moors and later between the kingdoms of Castile and Navarre.
King Alfonso I the Battler granted it charters and privileges to attract new settlers, and a castle with powerful walls was built, to which the population — originally settled on the other side of the river back in Roman times — was moved.
A large population once lived within the castle walls, as the narrow, passage-lined streets of the old town still attest today. Almost nothing remains of the castle now but an earthen rampart, from which there is a beautiful panoramic view of the town’s lovely surroundings. Its charter allowed for what is documented as the oldest market in all of Spain, which is still held every Monday and reflects the vitality of its people. The town’s hospitality towards pilgrims is reflected in the footprints of famous figures set into the pavement along the Paseo del Ánimo.
The Plaza Mayor is an arcaded square in the Castilian style, notable for its characteristic porticoes and its houses bearing coats of arms. The central bandstand and the promenade around it are the heart of local life in Belorado and are full of the atmosphere of the Camino Frances. It is also home to the Digital Centre for the Promotion of the Way of St James, which provides information to pilgrims arriving in Belorado.
During the Middle Ages, the town council would meet in assembly in the portico of the Church of Saint Peter. In the Church of Saint Peter, the main chapel is presided over by a superb eighteenth-century Rococo-style altarpiece carved by the Solana family, master craftsmen of the town. The vaulted ceilings, as well as the painted canvases on the altars of the side chapels, are the work of Gaspar Palacios. The Chapel of the Adoration houses several busts of saints and relics of the martyrs of Cardeña, which came from the Church of Saint Mary. Outside the town walls stands the Hermitage of Our Lady of Bethlehem, once home to the medieval Confraternity of Saint James, reserved solely for wealthy hidalgos, whose records have been partially preserved since 1540. The building was originally a pilgrims’ hospital before later becoming a hermitage. It was rebuilt in the 18th century after being destroyed by fire. The Church of Saint Mary was built on the site of the old castle chapel, although it was rebuilt in the 16th century. It is a Renaissance building with three naves covered by vaults resting on six pillars and a half-orange dome, presided over by a beautiful Baroque altarpiece housing the 13th-century Gothic image of the Virgen de la Capilla. In the Chapel of Saint James there is an altarpiece with an image of Saint James the Pilgrim and another of Santiago Matamoros (the Moor-slayer). Of the Church of Saint Nicholas, the oldest in the town, only part of its Renaissance façade remains, along with its distinctive clock tower, which can be reached via a spiral staircase. Nearby is the old quarter, “El Barrio del Cerro,” the site of the medieval Jewish quarter. Belorado’s Jewish community was one of the most prosperous of its time, with houses clustered along narrow streets and passageways. This church was largely made up of semicircular arches with 12th-century Romanesque ribbed vaults. The apse and its pointed arches dated from the 13th century. The furnishings of the Church of Saint Nicholas included a main altarpiece in the Churrigueresque style, with Solomonic columns covered in foliage and fruit. Its side sections were in the same style, and featured an image of Our Lady of la Antigua, carved in wood, seated and nursing her son, which is now preserved in the Church of Saint Mary. Set into the pavement along the Paseo del Ánimo are the imprints of famous people’s footprints — “the accompaniment” — and handprints — “the welcome.” A pioneering and unique initiative on a UNESCO World Heritage element. It’s a walk of fame in the style of Hollywood Boulevard, but with hundreds of years of history behind it. Famous athletes and actors have already left their own mark, including Alberto Contador, Miguel Indurain, world athletics champion Marta Domínguez, and actors Martin Sheen, Emilio Estevez and Deborah Kara Unger (stars of the famous American film “The Way,” shot on the Camino de Santiago in 2010). The Inocencio Bocanegra Museum of Radiocommunication houses Europe’s largest reproduction of First World War trenches, as well as a large collection of historic radio transmission equipment. It’s well worth an unhurried visit, so as not to miss any of its attractions.
The slogan that captures the spirit of this area is: “Belorado tiene tirón” (“Belorado has real pull”).
