Discover Ampudia: Castillo, Sacred Art and Castilian Traditions

Ampudia is located in the region known as Tierra de Campos and is considered an example of typically Castilian architecture and urban layout.

When planning a holiday apartment stay in Ampudia, you can compare travel dates, room categories and cancellation policies.

Other places to choose from: Prádanos de Ojeda, Villacibio, Vallejo De Orbó, Torquemada, Cordovilla La Real, Mudá, Alar del Rey, Dehesa De Montejo.

History and Townscape

Ampudia's town centre was declared a historic-artistic ensemble in 1965. The main streets, Corredera and Ontiveros, preserve arcades with stone columns dating from the 17th century; some examples date back to the 13th century.

Comparing Ampudia's cultural layers means giving distinct attention to the town centre, the castle, the collegiate church and the Museum of Sacred Art. Those interested in the rural forms, by contrast, turn their attention to páramos, campiñas, cuestas and chozos. Built heritage, sacred art and landscape features therefore stand alongside one another as clearly distinguishable themes.

The Castillo de Ampudia is a Castilian manor castle dating from the 15th century to the first decades of the 16th century. The “Recorridos Secretos” at Castillo de Ampudia last almost two and a half hours and provide access to the keep and its dungeons.

Culture and Museums

The 63-metre-high tower of the Collegiate Church of San Miguel is known in the surrounding area as the “Giralda de Campos”. The Baroque organ of the Collegiate Church of San Miguel was built by Tadeo Ortega in 1779.

The Museum of Sacred Art is home mainly to works dating from the 12th to the 18th century. It is located in the former 17th-century Franciscan monastery of San Francisco; the surviving church features late-Renaissance architecture and Mudéjar decoration.

The present-day Ermita de la Virgen del Castrillo was rebuilt between 1621 and 1626, received its portico in 1648 and was partially restored in 2002.

The Museo de la Medicina displays more than 200 items collected by the Official College of Physicians of Palencia through donations from former members. It is located in a historic building designed as the Hospital de Nuestra Señora de Clemencia and founded by Pedro García de Herrera in the 15th century.

Landscape

The municipality of Ampudia is shaped by three key landscape features: páramos or alcores, campiñas and cuestas.

The distinctive rural structures include Ampudia's chozos. These are single-storey, round stone buildings with a conical shape and a single interior room; they served as shelters and, in some cases, accommodation for shepherds.

Festivals and Traditions

In Ampudia, the festival of the Virgen del Castrillo continues to be celebrated on the last Sunday in July. In August, Ampudia holds a festival of paloteo and dance to preserve the traditional paloteo dance.

To the overarching travel overview: Palencia.