Molinaseca

Stage 25 · Rabanal del Camino – PonferradaLeon Province
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What is there in Molinaseca

Molinaseca is a town and municipality in the El Bierzo district, in Leon Province, on the Camino Frances.

After the hard descent from the mountains of León, Molinaseca greets you with a postcard: the Baroque sanctuary of Las Angustias, set into the rock beside the path, and soon after the Pilgrims’ Bridge, medieval in origin, which crosses the river Meruelo into the Calle Real. It is said the sanctuary door had to be covered in metal sheeting because pilgrims kept tearing off splinters as souvenirs. The Calle Real, with its coat-of-arms houses and balconies, is the heart of a town listed among the most beautiful villages in Spain, and in summer the river, dammed beside the bridge, becomes a river beach. With about eight hundred and seventy residents in the municipality and a good choice of accommodation, many prefer to sleep here rather than in Ponferrada, eight kilometres away.

Accommodation in Molinaseca

Hotel Rural PajarapintaRural HouseHotel Rural PajarapintaHotel Rural La Casa Del RelojRural HouseHotel Rural La Casa Del RelojGuesthouse The Way Hotel MolinasecaGuesthouseGuesthouse The Way Hotel MolinasecaGuesthouse El PalacioGuesthouseGuesthouse El PalacioHostel Señor OsoHostelHostel Señor OsoGuesthouse El HornoGuesthouseGuesthouse El HornoGuesthouse Casa Saint NicholasGuesthouseGuesthouse Casa Saint NicholasHotel Molina RealHotelHotel Molina RealHotel Rural Our Lady of Mount CarmelRural HouseHotel Rural Our Lady of Mount CarmelNo-Mad Green HotelHotelNo-Mad Green HotelHostel Saint MarinaHostelHostel Saint MarinaHostel Compostela MolinasecaHostelHostel Compostela Molinaseca

Distances from Molinaseca

From Molinaseca to Ponferrada it is about 9.2 km.

To Columbrianos it is about 14.7 km.

And to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, in Santiago de Compostela, about 216.3 km remain.

Molinaseca on the Camino

After the hard descent from El Acebo, the pilgrim enters Molinaseca over the medieval Pilgrims’ Bridge, across the Meruelo river. In summer the weir beside the bridge becomes a natural pool where many take a dip. Calle Real, with mansions bearing coats of arms and balconies, leads to the way out towards Ponferrada. It is one of the most beautiful stops on the Camino Frances in El Bierzo.

What to see in Molinaseca?

The town is protected as a Historic Ensemble, and in 2021 its status as a Site of Cultural Interest was reinforced.

Hermitage
Ermita de Nuestra Senora de las Angustias Camino de Santiago Frances 768x403

Hermitage of Our Lady of Anguish

Ermita de Nuestra Señora de las Angustias in Molinaseca The Santuario de Nuestra Señora de las Angustias is one of
Church
Iglesia de San Nicolas de Bari Camino de Santiago Frances 768x403

Church of Saint Nicholas of Bari

Church of Saint Nicholas of Bari in Molinaseca The Church of Saint Nicholas of Bari in Molinaseca is a 17th-century
Bridge
Puente de los Peregrinos Camino de Santiago Frances 3 768x403

Bridge de los Peregrinos

Puente de los Peregrinos de Molinaseca The Puente de los Peregrinos de Molinaseca, also known as the Puente Romano, is

The municipality

At 588 metres above sea level and covering almost 80 km², the municipality of Molinaseca brings together several villages:

  • Molinaseca, the town.
  • Onamio and the MSP settlement.
  • El Acebo.
  • Riego de Ambrós.
  • Paradasolana.
  • Castrillo del Monte, almost uninhabited.

It is just 7 km from Ponferrada, on the route of the Camino Frances.

Origins and mining

Already in Roman times there were mining works in the Santa Marina area. Mining returned centuries later with iron mines documented in the early 17th century and, in the 20th, with coal.

The Middle Ages

In the Middle Ages the town belonged to lords linked to the church of Santiago and had hermitages and hospitals for pilgrims. Several still remain:

  • Sanctuary of Nuestra Señora de las Angustias, at the entrance, beside the Camino.
  • Hermitage of Santa Marina.
  • Hermitage of the Hospital.
  • Hermitage of San Roque, on the way out.

The 17th-century parish church of Saint Nicholas of Bari overlooks the village from a height.

The Early Modern and modern era

During the Peninsular War Molinaseca was the seat of the Junta Superior de León in 1809. In 1821 it belonged to the short-lived province of Villafranca, and from 1833 it returned to that of León.

The Pilgrims’ Bridge

The seven-arched Pilgrims’ Bridge is the image of Molinaseca: a Romanesque bridge, rebuilt several times, around which the town grew.

In short

Molinaseca is the reward for the descent from the mountains of León: a bridge, a river to cool off in and a Calle Real to stroll along. One of the jewels of the Camino Frances.

CountryEspaña
Autonomous CommunityCastilla y León
ProvinceLeon Province
Comarca El Bierzo​
Judicial DistrictPonferrada
Location42°32′17″N 6°31′11″O
Elevation588 m
Area79.63 km²
SettlementsEl Acebo, Castrillo del Monte, Molinaseca, Onamio, Paradasolana y Riego de Ambrós
Postal code24413 (El Acebo, Molinaseca y Riego) 24398 (Castrillo, Onamio y Paradasolana)
Dialling code987
Patron saintSaint Nicholas of Bari
Websitemolinaseca.es
Camino de Santiago Frances
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