Grañón

Stage 10 · Santo Domingo de la Calzada – BeloradoLa Rioja
{“hide_search_input”:false,”hide_near_input”:false,”input_size”:””,”bar_flex_wrap”:””,”bar_flex_wrap_md”:””,”bar_flex_wrap_lg”:””,”input_border”:””,”input_border_opacity”:””,”input_rounded_size”:””,”btn_bg”:””,”btn_rounded_size”:””,”btn_rounded_size_md”:””,”btn_rounded_size_lg”:””,”bg”:””,”mt”:””,”mr”:””,”mb”:”3″,”ml”:””,”pt”:””,”pr”:””,”pb”:””,”pl”:””,”border”:””,”rounded”:””,”rounded_size”:””,”rounded_size_md”:””,”rounded_size_lg”:””,”shadow”:””,”css_class”:””}

What is there in Grañón

Grañón is a town and municipality in the Santo Domingo de la Calzada area, the last village of La Rioja on the Camino Frances.

On a rise at over 700 metres, Grañón was born at the end of the 9th century around a frontier castle on Mirabel hill, and later prospered because Santo Domingo diverted the Camino this way. For many pilgrims it is synonymous with its parish hostel, attached to the church of Saint John the Baptist: donation-based welcome, shared dinner and mats on the floor, an experience remembered for the whole journey. The church itself keeps a magnificent mid-16th-century Plateresque altarpiece. Outside the village, the Cross of the Brave recalls a dispute with Santo Domingo over some pastures which, tradition says, was settled by single combat in favour of Grañón’s champion. A few kilometres on, a sign announces your entry into Castile and León.

Accommodation in Grañón

Hostel Parroquial Saint John the BaptistHostelHostel Parroquial Saint John the Baptist

Distances from Grañón

From Grañón to Redecilla del Camino it is about 4.5 km.

To Castildelgado it is about 6.2 km.

And to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, in Santiago de Compostela, about 558.9 km remain.

What to See in Grañón?

Hermitage
Ermita de Carrasquedo Camino de Santiago Frances 768x403

Hermitage de Carrasquedo

Ermita de nuestra señora del Carrasquedo The Ermita de Carrasquedo is located 1.5 kilometers south of the village of Grañon
Church
Iglesia de San Juan Bautista Granon Camino de Santiago Frances 768x403

Church of Saint John the Baptist Grañon

Parish Church of Saint John the Baptist in Grañon The Church of Saint John the Baptist stands in the centre

Geography of Grañón

Grañón occupies the western end of La Rioja, in Rioja Alta, and its municipality borders Burgos Province. The landscape alternates hills with some woodland and gentle slopes, but it has hardly any rivers or springs, so in the hottest summers water runs short and there have even been restrictions.

Almost all the land is farmland; only a tenth is wooded. Dry farming dominates, above all cereal, alongside large potato fields and, to a lesser extent, some irrigated peas and beans.

History of Grañón

Grañón grew from a castle that King Alfonso III had built at the end of the 9th century on a nearby hill, then called Mirabel or Mirabelia. The Nájera chronicles record it as standing around 885, and other documents place its completion in 889. It was part of the line of fortresses defending these lands from Muslim raids.

Under the castle’s protection, neighbourhoods and hamlets grew up, as well as several hospitals; the best known, Carrasquedo, is today a hermitage of the same name. In the second half of the 12th century the town was caught in the disputes between Sancho VI of Navarre and Alfonso VIII of Castile, who in 1176 accepted the arbitration of King Henry II of England: the Navarrese king claimed the castle of Mirabel as his inheritance, but it remained in Castilian hands. In 1187 Alfonso VIII granted Grañón a charter and the new settlement was organised.

The residents gradually gathered around the monastery of San Juan, where the church of San Juan Bautista now stands, and the village was laid out along the Camino Frances, which Saint Dominic of the Causeway had diverted from the old Roman road so that it passed through Grañón and Redecilla del Camino on the way to Burgos. It had walls, of which nothing remains, and the castle lost importance as the town grew. Its good, extensive lands led to many lawsuits; the best remembered gave rise to the legend of the Valientes, the dispute with Santo Domingo de la Calzada over La Dehesa, some thousand hectares lying between the two villages.

Grañón facts

CountrySpain
• Aut. communityLa Rioja
• ProvinceLa Rioja
• DistrictSanto Domingo de la Calzada
• Judicial districtHaro
Location42°27′01″N 3°01′35″W
• Elevation725 m
Area31.01 km²
Founded9th century
Population235 inhab. (2023)
• Density8.22 inhab./km²
Demonymgrañonero, grañonera
Postal code26259
Twinned withRetjons (France)
PatronSaint John the Baptist
PatronessVirgen de Carrasquedo
Websitewww.granon.es
Camino de Santiago Frances
Privacy overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

You can review our Privacy Policy.