San Juan de Paluezas: Castrelín and Romanesque religious buildings

In San Juan de Paluezas, the Castrelín de San Juan de Paluezas displays the characteristic features of Asturian settlements. The Castrelín was a small settlement probably inhabited by no more than around one hundred people; it occupies a commanding position and is protected by walls and ditches. In the Las Médulas area of the municipality of Borrenes, it is one of the five places recommended for visitors.

Culture

The history of religious architecture can be seen in two different locations. The original structure of the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción had a semicircular Romanesque apse with three external buttresses. The Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción is located on Calle el Foyo, on a raised terrace in the upper part of San Juan de Paluezas. The Ermita de la Virgen de la Estrella is a medieval religious building with a Romanesque apse and a bell gable, located in the northern, higher part of San Juan de Paluezas.

This presents two different architectural settings: at the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, the raised terrace, its location in the upper part of the village, and the apse with its three external buttresses define the scene. The Ermita combines its northern, higher location with a Romanesque apse and bell gable. This allows the village structure and religious architecture to be considered separately.

Landscape

The natural surroundings around the Ermita de la Virgen de la Estrella offer views across the valley and Lago de Carucedo. This perspective can be considered independently of the architectural details. The differences between settlement form, religious architecture, festival dates, and the landscape along the routes provide various perspectives for planning your own trip.

The elevated location of the two churches is just as much part of the village view as the protected location of the Castrelín. On the one hand, the view focuses on historic architectural forms and the structure of the settlement; on the other, it extends towards the valley and Lago de Carucedo. Landscape and buildings therefore form two clearly distinguishable themes within the village.

Festivals

In San Juan de Paluezas, festivities in honour of the Virgen de la Estrella take place at the beginning of June. San Roque is celebrated in August. The two months mark two separate periods in the village's festival calendar. The festival calendar thus places these occasions in early summer and August, while the names of the saints being celebrated each retain their own significance within the village.

Routes

The Ruta de las Barrancas de Santalla partly follows the Camino de Invierno, a southern variant of the Way of Saint James on the route to Galicia. As an attraction, it leads to the Ermita de la Virgen de la Estrella de San Juan de Paluezas. The route also passes through the floodplain of the Río Sil along paths to the fields and the villages of San Juan de Paluezas and Santalla. The route, buildings, and festival dates can be considered as different focal points without combining them into a single activity.

In this way, the route connects several landscape and village-related features without its individual sections being alike. Its shared course with the Camino de Invierno points to the broader route towards Galicia; the floodplain of the Río Sil and the paths to the fields and villages, by contrast, describe the immediate landscape around San Juan de Paluezas and Santalla.

Other places

Other places include Vallecillo, Riego De Ambrós, Brazuelo, Mansilla Mayor, Santa Lucía de Gordón, Santa Marina Del Rey, Villaseca De Laciana and Orellán.

For the overall travel overview: León.