Carrión de los Condes

Pantocrátor de la iglesia de Santiago / Foto cedida por la Diputación de Palencia

Carrión de los Condes, an important political and cultural center in the Middle Ages

This town, located in the geographical center of the French Way, is still the "town abundant in bread, wine, meat and all kinds of products" that the author of the Codex Calixtinus quoted, even though today it does not preserve the glorious past it once had. 

Residence of kings, it was the capital of the domains of the powerful Infantes de Carrión, those that the legend married to the daughters of the Cid. Cradle of illustrious writers, such as the Marquis of Santillana, a key character in the Castilian literature of the 15th century, who played a prominent role in the evolution of the pilgrimages. 

The route, the backbone of the town's economy, continues to be its great dynamizer. The various temples, monasteries, hermitages and innumerable emblazoned houses that the traveler will find along the urban route bear witness to what Carrión became.

Carrión de los Condes ©Panoramio pilama

What to see in Carrión de los Condes?

• Royal Monastery of Santa Clara
• Church of Santiago
• Monastery of San Zoilo

The Royal Monastery of Santa Clara, one of the oldest Poor Clare foundations in Spain. In its neoclassical church are kept the image of La Piedad and El Santo Cristo, works of Gregorio Fernandez, the greatest exponent of the Castilian school of sculpture. In the museum of the monastery different pieces of several centuries are conserved among which it emphasizes The Child Jesus with toothache and the collections of coins and cribs of the world. 

The pilgrimage route then continues its progress towards the Plaza Marqués de Santillana, then leaves the Plaza Mayor on the left, where the Town Hall is located, and then advances along the Calle de la Rúa, where the monumental church of Santiago stands. Of course, the narrowness of the street will prevent the pilgrims to contemplate the splendor of the beautiful set. 

The front of the temple is one of the best examples of Romanesque sculpture, with a superb pantocrator surrounded by the four evangelists. In the archivolt of the entrance there are 24 figures of medieval trades. Inside it houses a museum of sacred art. 

If we cross a bridge over the Carrión River, we can find another of the great monuments of the town, the former monastery of San Zoilo, now a hotel. Erected, it is believed, in the tenth century, this monastery was originally attached to the Benedictine order, although over the centuries it belonged to the Order of Cluny and the Jesuits.

Carrión de los Condes ©Panoramio Antonio Alba

Festivals of Carrión de los Condes: Festivals and traditions

Those walkers who arrive in Carrión in the second half of August will find the celebration of the festivities of San Zoilo, patron saint of the town, during which there are festivals, competitions, parades and the original procession of the saint, who is danced to the rhythm of charangas. On Saturday the night of the fire is celebrated. 

On September 8, meanwhile, the Feast of the Virgin of Bethlehem.