Monfarracinos on the Valderaduey: Church, Festivals and Landscape

Monfarracinos combines traditional earthen architecture with buildings along the Valderaduey, a distinctive church interior and deeply rooted customs. The traditional houses were single-storey and low, and were built from adobe bricks or rammed earth. Some had underground wine cellars with a small ventilation opening at ground level. Residential houses, cellars and public buildings thus represent different aspects of the town’s history.

Culture

Above the Valderaduey stands Molino de Sixto, a two-storey brick mill of the Cárcavo type. Its location on the river connects the technical design with the landscape of the town. Pozo Viejo is a spring that supplied water in a vaulted structure built of masonry with a brick façade. Fuente de los Perales resembles Pozo Viejo and lies partially buried along a stream. Both springs therefore have their own architectural features and are among the smaller historic elements in the surroundings of Monfarracinos.

The differences between the buildings are also clear: adobe bricks, rammed earth and underground cellars define the appearance of the houses, while Molino de Sixto was built of brick. Pozo Viejo and Fuente de los Perales combine water sources with vaults, masonry and a stream.

Church and History

The Church of San Martín de Tours in Monfarracinos has a round-arched portal and a Baroque bell gable. Inside, its presbytery is defined by the Immaculate Conception and includes a mosaic of Saint Martin. Several named design elements thus come together in one place: the round arch at the portal, the bell gable, the presbytery and the mosaic.

The former palace of the Counts of Monfarracinos is an example of civil architecture. Together with the church and the traditional houses, it broadens the view from sacred architectural forms to the town’s former secular architecture.

Festivals

As part of the Quintos tradition, “el Mayo” is erected in the square on the night of 30 April. In Monfarracinos, San Isidro is celebrated with a mass, a procession and the subsequent blessing of the fields. The patron-saint festivities in honour of Saint Martin of Tours take place on 11 November.

The customs mentioned differ both in occasion and in sequence: the erection of “el Mayo” is followed by a sequence of mass, procession and the blessing of the fields for San Isidro, while 11 November is associated with the patron-saint festivities.

Landscape and Routes

The Valderaduey River near Monfarracinos shapes a landscape of riverbanks and plains. These landscape features stand alongside the historic buildings and springs as a separate part of the townscape. For cyclists, the mountain-bike route “Zamora, Teso Mayo, Monfarracinos” runs through Monfarracinos along the Camino de los Pozuelos to the CL-612. The route name refers to Zamora, Teso Mayo and Monfarracinos.

A bus route from Zamora to Benavente passes through Monfarracinos, with the town included as a stop. Different route elements therefore appear side by side in connection with the town: the riverbanks and plains, the mountain-bike route along the Camino de los Pozuelos to the CL-612, and the service connecting Zamora and Benavente.

More destinations

For further travel planning, you can also include Samir De Los Caños, Zamora, Losacio, San Vitero, Puebla De Sanabria, Fontanillas De Castro, Fuente Encalada, Castrillo de la Guareña.

To the higher-level travel overview: Zamora.