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.
Interior of the church of Santa María. | Shutterstock
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.
Church of San Pedro in Belorado. | Shutterstock
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.
Plaza Mayor in Belorado. | Shutterstock
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.
Entrance to a mine in the Puras de Villafranca mining complex. | Minas de Puras
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.
Plaza Mayor in Belorado. | Shutterstock
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.