El Bodón – History, Craftsmanship and Landscape

A battle took place in El Bodón on 25 September 1811. On 24 September 2011, a memorial monolith was inaugurated in El Bodón to mark the 200th anniversary of the Battle of El Bodón of 25 September 1811. The date of the event and the later memorial provide the town with two clearly distinct historical points of reference.

History

The Parish Church of San Lorenzo houses a 16th-century sculpture of Saint Lawrence attributed to the Italian artist Lucas Mitata. In the hermitage of El Bodón, the Cristo de la Expiración depicts Christ alive on the cross, looking towards heaven at the moment of his death. The two depictions emphasize different aspects: here, the patron saint is the focus, while there, the distinctive artistic portrayal of the crucified Christ takes centre stage.

El Bodón is also home to a silver plateresque-style pax. Together with the sculpture in the parish church and the Cristo de la Expiración, it creates a diverse art-historical picture in which figures, materials and styles become visible in separate details.

Culture

Cotton and wool supply the looms of El Bodón and Morasverdes and enable striking embroidery in the Sierra de Francia. El Bodón has two textile craft workshops where blankets are made on looms. The materials, weaving and embroidery represent different levels of the same regional craft tradition: the raw materials come first, the looms shape the production process, and the embroidery adds a visible accent.

At the beginning of May, a sculpture attributed to Lucas Mitata is carried from the hermitage to the parish church dedicated to Saint Lawrence. The “La Salamanca de Lord Wellington” route also mentions El Bodón. The procession’s connection to the month and the historical reference in the route’s name complement the town’s sacred and historical aspects without telling the same story.

Nature

El Bodón marks the beginning of the sequence of settlements in the El Rebollar natural area. The landscape of El Bodón combines the holm oak and oak groves typical of Campo Charro with the foothill landscape of the Sierra de Gata.

Cuisine

El Bodón has a wood-fired bakery where traditional hornazo is made. Hornazo is a type of empanada filled with Iberian cured meats and is typical of the province; people from surrounding villages come there to buy it. This baked speciality thus brings together the specific place of production, the wood-fired oven, the Iberian cured meats and the province’s regional identity. History, craftsmanship, landscape and food each offer their own perspective for exploring El Bodón.

Other places to include in your travel plans are Calvarrasa De Abajo, Cepeda, San Pelayo De Guareña, Valdefuentes De Sangusin, San Pedro De Rozados, Madroñal, Calzada De Valdunciel, and Sorihuela.

For the overarching travel overview: Salamanca.