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ROMANESQUE ART EN LEÓN
De Astorga a Ponferrada
Romanesque art among the mountains
Church of Santo Tomás de las Ollas
After leaving Sahagún behind, the Camino climbs
towards higher ground, where the Romanesque style—
though more austere—continues to shape the lands-
cape with quiet strength. In Astorga, a city with two
thousand years of history, Romanesque traces can still
be found in the foundations of its cathedral and other
early structures, marking a time of both transition and
continuity. From here, the Jacobean route splits into two
branches that reunite in Ponferrada, crossing valleys
where small churches and rural chapels mark the pil-
grim’s path.These are examples of a modest yet we-
ll-preserved Romanesque, integrated into nature and
the everyday life of local communities.
Within the municipality of Ponferrada, the medieval
legacy is enriched by pre-Romanesque landmarks
such as Santo Tomás de las Ollas, San Pedro de
Montes and Peñalba de Santiago—sites of great
symbolic value. But the Romanesque shines espe-
cially in Santa María de Vizvayo, with its apse de-
corated in taqueado jaqués and delicate vegetal mo-
tifs; in the Church of La Asunción in Villanueva de
Valdueza, which preserves the memory of Governor
Lope García de Castro, a key figure of the 16th cen-
tury; and in San Martín de Salas de los Barrios,
with its elegant portico and sculptural details that re-
call the splendour of rural Romanesque in El Bierzo.
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