Villages with Art and Mystery: Santa Gadea del Cid, Burgos

Located on the border between Castilla and Navarra, Santa Gadea del Cid is another of those old villages that still retain a genuine taste of history and tradition.

In fact, there is evidence of its existence, at least, since the eleventh century - time in which it was known by the name of Term - and it also shows the presence of relevant figures in the History of Spain, like Count Sancho García.

It is striking that his current name misleads, because this is not the place where the famous Jura took place, for which King Alfonso VI, had to swear before the Cid Campeador and the people, who had not intervened in the Murder of his brother Sancho, episode, by which the Cid was banished and the legend places him in the Burgos church of Santa Gadea, although most historians consider that it never occurred and label it as false.

But regardless of the truthfulness or not of this, as of other episodes of the formidable golden legend of Castile, what is true is that this town of Santa Gadea, which sits in the vicinity of the legendary Pancorbo Gorge, next to the From the road that goes to Bilbao, it is a place that attracts its mystery and beauty.

The most striking is that it still retains a good part of its medieval aspect, although the castle - in fact, it was more of a fortified tower - and the walls have suffered the vicissitudes of time and possibly many of its ancient stones form now part of these houses, of solid aspect that is usually attributed to the character of the Castilian people.

It is not surprising, either, that being on Camino de Santiago - at the top of the Pancorbo gorge, you can still see a small tower with a bell, which served to warn pilgrims at night and on days with thick fog- At the entrance of Pancorbo, the traveler will be surprised by a beautiful stone cruise.

It also seems relevant, that a few kilometers from the town, a monastery, that of Espino, which in addition to preserving one of the supposed pieces of Vera Cruz, was erected where tradition tells us that the Virgin appeared to several pastors, repeatedly .

Of the historical-artistic heritage of the place, it is worth noting, outside the walls, the 12th century hermitage, of beautiful invoice, dedicated to the figure of the Virgen de las Eras, a temple that in some areas, they consider may have belonged, at some historical moment, to the famous order of warrior-monks, which History knew as the Order of the Temple.

It retains some of its old medieval doors, such as the so-called Puerta de la Villa, access that leads to the Plaza de la Iglesia, where the church, with gothic connotations, dedicated to the figure of Saint Peter the Apostle.

From it, it is worth mentioning the curious symbolism displayed by the medieval stonecutters, in the figures that make up the ornamentation of the archivolts of the main portico.

A portico, in addition, that draws your attention for a rather unusual detail, such as the shape of a crescent, which can be seen in its eardrum.

Among the symbolism to which reference was made, the presence of the so-called 'wild men' -representative of the antiquity of noble families- the fight of the goose -disputable symbol of the Camino de Santiago- with the basilisk or the erotic allusions -festives - elements that are also located as related to a road, Santiago's referral, full of taverns and brothels - as well as, the presence of an extremely strange and interesting element, which carries on its shell a whole symbol of the universe, as is the spiral: a snail with two heads.

Leaving aside this curious language of the stones of the entrance porch to the church of San Pedro -language that the mysterious French author, Fulcanelli, defined as' argotic'- the whole town, spectacular, still maintains that flavor of tradition and antiquity, which has earned him the declaration, in 1973, of Cultural Interest.

In addition, the old pilgrim hospital of San Lázaro is still preserved, because as we have already said, its location is within the paths of the Camino de las Estrellas and there are many pilgrims who are currently seen there, once the hard past and dangerous Pancorbo gorge.

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