Güemes – Pilgrim Route, Architectural Heritage and Green Valley

Güemes is an important stopping point on the coastal route to Santiago. The coastal route to Santiago runs from the Romanesque church of Santa María along the CA-447 road towards Güemes and then along the CA-443 road to the junction with the CA-141, approximately 3 km away.

The Camino association lists a Güemes–Galizano variant and a Galizano–Somo coastal variant. The two variants can be compared separately if you want to incorporate different route options into your personal planning.

For the personal classification of the Camino, two levels must therefore be distinguished: the specific sequence of roads describes the route up to the aforementioned junction, while the variants listed by the association identify different lines within the trail network.

History

The Ermita de San Julián was originally built as a Romanesque chapel; its Romanesque corbels probably date from the 12th or 13th century. Until the 19th century, it served as a hospital for pilgrims travelling the Camino de Santiago.

Two chronological levels therefore meet at the ermita: its Romanesque architectural history, with its probably medieval corbels, and its later use as a hospital. Both levels are part of the history of the place, without the chapel having to be assigned to a single period.

The festival of Nuestra Señora de la Consolación, patron saint of the Ermita de San Julián, takes place on the first Saturday in September. The San Lorenzo festival is celebrated on 10 August in the parish church.

The two festival dates mark different fixed points in the annual calendar and can be taken into account separately when planning a personal trip.

Culture

The Palacio de Güemes is a manor house in the regionalist Montañes style. It was built in 1927 and is generally attributed to the architect Leonardo Rucabado.

Its construction date of 1927 and attribution to Leonardo Rucabado distinguish the manor house chronologically and stylistically from the older ecclesiastical architectural heritage of the place.

A single-nave Renaissance church has Gothic rib vaults and a side chapel on the Gospel side. A Baroque high altar from 1677 is attributed to Andrés de Monasterio Bárcena.

Several design elements exist side by side in the church: the single-nave layout, Gothic vaults, side chapel and Baroque altar form an ensemble of different architectural features.

The combination of the festival calendar, pilgrim history and architectural forms opens up several thematic approaches to Güemes; the aspects differ according to occasion, function and period.

A holiday apartment in Güemes can be assessed on the accommodation pages based on travel dates, room category and cancellation conditions. The specific details stand alongside the historic character of the place.

Anyone wishing to look beyond Güemes can also include Ajo as another place in the region in their personal planning.

Landscape

The small Valle de Güemes in the inland area of the municipality comprises green meadows and thousands of streams. The mountains of the Valle de Güemes offer views of the Cantabrian Sea.

Green meadows, numerous streams and views of the Cantabrian Sea thus represent different landscape themes side by side.

For the broader travel overview: Bareyo.