STAGE 17 - LéDIGOS to BERCIANOS DEL REAL CAMINO

Today started out cloudy with chances of showers projected for the evening. Shortly into our trek it started to drizzle lightly, but nothing that couldn't be managed. Slowly the skies began to clear and we moved along forward on our 17 mile journey. Here are some of the things that we saw and experienced...

This is a typical house in Terradillos (and in several of the towns along the way). They are made of adobe or brick and then covered with this straw/mud compound. It is very hard and resistant to the rain. Here is an closeup of the wall...

I caught this cloud bank in the distance. The clouds start at the ground and then spread out. It was really quite beautiful.

Moratinos is a small town early on in the hike. It is known for these little "hobbit" houses where people used to live and now are used for curing cheese and wine. They are perfect for maintaining a consistent temperature and humidity.

Unlike the previous day, there are more rolling hills with fields recently tilled in preparation for planting.

About three kilometers outside of Sahagún is a lovely little spot. This is the Ermita de la Virgen del Puente. Both the ermita and the bridge date from the 13th century. In this spot once stood a hospital for lepers.

And, just a few feet from the ermita is this "gate" that marks the halfway point in the Camino for those going to Santiago de Compostela.

The figure on your left is Bernardo de Sedirac (d. 1128) a monk after the order of Cluny and abbot of Sahagun. Later he was named Archbishop of Toledo. He is credited as the co-founder of Sahagún.

The figure on your right is Alfonso VI "El Bravo"(1065-1109), King of Castilla, León, and Galicia. Founder of Sahagún. He was known for "protecting" the Camino de Santiago and the Order of Cluny. He is buried in Sahagún with his wife, Inés de Aquitania (1059-1078), in the Monasterio Real de San Benito.

This is the Iglesia de San Tirso in Sahagún. This 12th-century church (completed sometime between 1180 and 1190) offers a look into Mudéjar architecture. Mudéjar style in architecture refers to the application of decorative Islamic art motifs and patterns to Christian architecture. It is thought to have gegun with Muslim craftsmen who applied traditional construction, ornamentation, and decoration to Christian buildings. One of the principal components of Mudéjar architecture is the use of fired bricks that are used to enhance the decorative composition of the building.

Another church in the Romanesque-Mudéjar style (one that we visited in 2023) that is worth mentioning is the Iglesia de San Lorenzo (13th century). It is similar to that of San Tirso in construction and composition. The major difference between the two is the design of the tower.

As we left Sahagún we crossed, yes, a bridge that spans the Cea River. Known as the Puente Canto, the span was built between 1068 and 1113, and, along with the Puente la Reina (11th century), is considered to be one of the most beautiful along the Camino de Santiago. This year (2025) a restoration project was completed to reinforce the bridge and the road that continues to be used by traffic.

Just over the bridge is this path known as the Ruta de las Lanzas (the Route of the Spears). There is a story told in the Chronicle of the Pseudo Turpin that goes like this: Charlemagne was to battle Aigolande and his troops. The Chronicle records, "While carefully preparing their weapons on the evening before the battle, some of the Christians drove their lances vertically into the ground at the head of the camp - that is, in the valley next to the aforementioned river [Cea River]. On the following morning, those who were to receive the palms of martyrdom in the next battle for their faith in God found their lances adorned with bark shavings and leaves. Filled with indescribable admiration and believing that such a miracle could only be a sign of God's divine grace, the soldiers cut their lances close to the ground, leaving the lower part as if they were plant roots. Magnificent forests, which survive to this day, grew out of them in that place. Many of those lances were made from the wood of ash trees. The miraculous event brought such great happiness and indescribable reward to the souls of those men though it came at the cost of such horrible physical pain."

The remainder of our trek to Bercianos del Real Camino was along this secondary road. We only saw two or three cars pass us. Now see those clouds in the distance. I am sure that you can guess what happened to us! Yes, we got caught in a downpour and as luck would have it just as we stepped into the town, the rain stopped and soon there was sunshine! Adventures never cease.

Finally, we have seen a lot of street art along the way. I have shown you some examples. Here are some from Sahagún that were particularly dramatic...

This one reads: "I continue to believe in happy endings"