Belorado

History of Belorado

Before knowing what to see in Belorado, it’s worth reviewing its history. The first settlement of Belorado dates back to the 4th century BC. It is a Celtiberian settlement located in the place known as La Muela. This enclave is located at the top of the mountain known as Cara del Indio. The Romans built another settlement in La Mesa around the first century. Later they moved to the current location. It is a place of passage between the Meseta and the Ebro valley, which would gain importance as the traffic of pilgrims on the French Way to Santiago increased. This town had a pilgrims’ hospital, whose last vestige is the hermitage of Nuestra Señora de Belén. This religious space is today one of the places that must be seen in Belorado.

It is important to note that Belorado was a place of rest before the pilgrims faced the dangerous stage of crossing the thick forests of the Montes de Oca. During a large part of the Middle Ages, a large number of criminals assaulted the pilgrims who made the Way to Santiago in the surroundings of Villafranca Montes de Oca and San Juan de Ortega.

Between the 10th and 12th centuries, Belorado reached great importance when it became a disputed border area between the kingdoms of Navarre and the county of Castile. Navarre originally controlled the territory of La Rioja. Castile, on the other hand, belonged at that time to the kingdom of Leon. For that reason it was from time immemorial protected by a castle, one of the places to see in Belorado. According to tradition, it was there that Fernán González had his chains removed when he was freed from captivity in Navarre. That is why he was given the privilege of holding a market every Monday.

It would return to Navarrese rule later, until the Battle of Atapuerca returned the region to Castile in 1054. Around 1074, Alfonso VI handed over his castle to his vassal El Cid, as a dowry for his marriage to Doña Jimena.

In 1116 the King Consort of Castile, Alfonso “el Batallador” of Aragon, granted him a charter. This included the right to hold an annual fair in the town, which could be the first one in Spain. The fair and its position on the north face of the Sierra de la Demanda, where the large herds of La Mesta came to graze in the dry months, enabled it to develop a spinning and cloth industry based on shorn wool, as well as tanning.

SIts mercantile character led to the establishment of a Jewish community, located in the current district of “El Corro”. This group prospered later, during the reign of Peter I. Later, it was punished by the new Trastámara dynasty for having supported the previous monarch. From the 16th century onwards it was a lordship town, dependent on the family of the Constables of Castile.

What to see in Belorado

What to see in Belorado is very interesting. A perfect first contact is the tourist office in the main square. It has some museographic presentations of the Way of Saint James as well as other local elements of interest. For example, it has a collection of Roman funerary steles from the La Mesa site. Dated between the 1st century BC and the 1st century AD, they were made from large river stones from the River Tiron. A real rare bird.

As far as museums are concerned, the ethnographic museum housed in the old San Miguel mill and the Inocencio Bocanegra International Radio Station are also great stops. In the open air you can enjoy the Wall-King Belorado. It is a series of murals on the facades of the buildings in the town. Underway since 2017, it highlights different values tied to the place through urban art.

Churches and castle of Belorado

Belorado’s medieval and modern past is reflected in the temples and remains of fortifications that it preserves. Of its castle, raised on a mote, there are hardly any remains of the keep. It is believed to have been built in the 9th century, in the context of the suspicion that dominated the passage between the kingdom of Pamplona and the county of Castile. Once the borders, between Christians and with the Arabs, were removed, it ceased to be a vital enclave. In this way, the ruin took over the fort little by little, despite the repairs made in the 17th century. Today it serves as a great lookout point, as the space is conditioned as such. It is said that the caves at the base of the mountain were inhabited by Roman and Visigoth hermits. It seems confirmed that the latter did use them.

As for the temples, the church of Santa María la Mayor is located under the gaze of what remains of the medieval castle. Its origin dates back to that time, although the appearance it has is the result of remodelling from the 16th century onwards. Of Renaissance style, it also has baroque touches. Its dome, dating from 1780, stands out. However, its most outstanding element is the high altar, a baroque altarpiece of great merit. The Gothic carving of the virgin that it keeps, together with the chapels of the Mendoza-Salazar, the Inmaculada and Santiago are milestones that should not be overlooked.

On the other hand, the church of Santiago Apóstol is the result of baroque reforms, despite having existed since the Middle Ages. It is located in the main square and has a clearly Castilian character. It was a popular meeting place for centuries. The fact that the reconstructions took place from the 17th century onwards gives it a more modern appearance than Santa María la Mayor. This reinforces its Rococo high altar, which is particularly striking, as well as the interconnected side chapels.

Hermitage of Belén and Monastery of Santa Clara

Another religious element not to be missed in Belorado is the hermitage of Belén. In its case, it is the last redoubt of the hospital run by the Knights of Santiago in the town. In the 18th century a fire forced the total refurbishment of the chapel. Something that also affected the titular virgin, who became the size that can be seen today. The patron saint of the town, she is the centre of a space of great artistic wealth. Her eclectic collection includes canvases from the now defunct San Lázaro hospital, a Romanesque Christ and a 17th-century altarpiece.

Meanwhile, the monastery of Santa Clara is also known as the monastery of Nuestra Señora de Bretonera. A work of the county of Haro, a previous monastery was used as a base to erect this in the year 1460. Since then, with a lapse of time caused by the disentailments of the 19th century, Poor Clare nuns have inhabited the place. The community lives in an eminently Gothic environment although with some plateresque details, such as the main entrance. In the church, the collection of Gothic altarpieces stands out.

Puras Mining Complex and caves of Fuentemolinos

The Sierra de la Demanda and the Montes de Oca have generated two of the most notable spaces in the municipality of Belorado. Both are located in Puras de Villafranca, a village that is part of it. For its part, the Puras Mining Complex can be discovered through an inexpensive guided tour. It lasts about two hours and has several galleries that are more than a couple of hundred metres long. Both mining equipment and ore veins are displayed inside and outside the site. Manganese was extracted from this mine for over a century and a half, and it is the only one of its kind in Spain that is open to the public.

EThe other landmark is also near Puras de Villafranca and is related to the subsoil. It is the Fuentemolinos caves. It shelters an underground river and was formed in a strange terrain. The rocks it went into were the result of the fusion of pebbles. It has three heights, the lower one being that of the river course. However, the upper ones are the ones that keep the best telluric formations. Although difficult to access, it is possible to hire private visits to see them. It should be noted that the state of the hollow is exceptional and therefore its preservation is a top priority.

The trail of the French Way in Belorado

As commented before, the Jacobean route is a reality that was vital in the development of Belorado. Its ecclesiastical foundations had much to do with the passage of the Way to Santiago. Some, like the old hospitals, are a direct legacy. Part of the best known route, the French one, comes from Santo Domingo de la Calzada and continues to Burgos passing through San Juan de Ortega and Atapuerca.

From the beginning of the Way in the area, Belorado was an ideal stop between Nájera and the capital of Burgos. It was also fortunate to be located within the radius of influence of Santo Domingo de la Calzada and its main disciple, San Juan de Ortega. Both radically improved the infrastructure of the route. A clear example is the El Canto Bridge, over the Tug. Of late Roman origin, it is suggested that the second of the mentioned saints raised it again. However, only its oldest phases remain in the lower parts, as it had to be rebuilt in the 19th century.