What to see in Peñalba de Santiago, the most beautiful town in Bierzo (León)

Our recent trip to Leonese Bierzo with the main objective of visiting again Las Médulas, has brought us other pleasant surprises.

And, perhaps, the most notable, discovering one of the most beautiful villages in Spain, of which we acknowledge you we had no reference before said trip, Penalba de Santiago.

She was our friend Eva, owner of rural hotel Villa Mencia, where we stayed, who told us that we should not leave without visiting the Valley of Silence, where there was a mozarabic church.

And the truth is that now we can confirm that there is much more than a heritage place, because on this visit you will be able to walk through a charming town, between very well preserved stone buildings that make up a beautiful set of country architecture, as you can see at the end of this attached video.

La Bierzo region It is located northwest of the province of León, occupying a large plain that is surrounded by mountains, whose main municipality is Ponferrada.

From the tourist point of view, above all the spectacular place mentioned above of Las Médulas, former Roman gold mines declared Heritage awarded by the Unesco.

Curiosities history of Peñalba de Santiago

Specifically, Penalba de Santiago It is located in the mountainous area known as Thebaid Berciana, a very isolated and difficult to access place where, starting in the 6th century, they established christian hermits who were looking for a place of retreat to dedicate themselves to meditation.

History tells us that, in the 7th century, Saint Fructuosus founded a small oratory in what is now known as Valley of Silence, and later, in the 10th century, Saint Gennadius founded the Peñalba monastery in memory of St. James.

In this regard, it must be remembered that the Bierzo region is located on the route of the Camino de Santiago.

Of this monastery, over the centuries only the building of the monastery has been preserved. mozarabic architecture, which is known as church of Santiago de Peñalba, and which you will be able to visit on your trip to this charming town.

Where is and how to go to Peñalba de Santiago

In view of this, you should know that Penalba de Santiago is just 22 kilometers from Ponferrada, although it will take about three quarters of an hour to arrive, which you will understand when you go to said town.

You have two ways to get there, the easiest being the route that goes up to the High of the Cross, which at the output of Ponferrada You will see it indicated as essential in case of rain.

This road takes you up to said port passing through a town, such as Christopher de Valdueza, where you will already have a small preview of the country architecture that awaits you.

Along this route, before reaching the top of the port, you will see how a road begins on your right that descends with a steep slope to where, surrounded by leafy forests, you will find Penalba de Santiago.

The other route, somewhat shorter and more commonly used, starts to the left from Saint Stephen of Valdueza and enters the valley through which the Oza River, and along the very winding and narrow road it goes up to Penalba de Santiago, which is located at 1.100 meters above sea level.

I warn you that this is a road that, for the most part, only has space for the passage of one vehicle, so you must drive very slowly and use the spaces that open from time to time to facilitate the passage of vehicles that can be crossed in the opposite direction.

What to see on the Peñalba de Santiago tourism visit

Upon arriving at Penalba de Santiago, end of both roads, you must leave the car at the parking that is at the entrance of the town, and then stroll through its cobblestone and narrow streets.

From the first moment you will be struck by the great charm of its very careful stone architecture, which is combined in many houses with wooden galleries.

We are talking about a town, almost a village, where only three families, about 20 people, reside throughout the year, although on weekends and holiday seasons people arrive who have their second residence there.

There are also some rural houses and a couple of bars, but I can tell you that if you visit on a weekday during the non-holiday season, it is possible that in practice you can walk almost completely alone through the town, as was our case.

Don't forget your camera or mobile phone, because you won't get tired of taking photos of the many charming corners that this town contains, whose image is also marked by the high peaks of up to 2.000 meters that surround it.

Mozarabic Church of Santiago de Peñalba in El Bierzo

From the heritage point of view, the corner to visit is the aforementioned Mozarabic church of Santiago de Peñalba.

I remind you that the mozarabic were the population of origin Hispano-Visigoth who lived in Spain during the Muslim occupation, and who had adopted practices and customs, such as architecture, from the Arab rulers.

Externally, the bell tower external to the main building will catch your attention, as well as the door with two horseshoe arches.

When you visit the interior of the church you will see that it has a Latin cross plan, and the most surprising thing is its two opposing apses, something you can also see in the Mozarabic church of San Cebrián de Mazote in the province of Valladolid.

Also worth noting are the remains of his decoration with paintings which can also be seen.

The Visiting hours of the church of Santiago de Peñalba They are, from April to September, from Wednesday to Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 14 p.m. and from 16,30:20 p.m. to XNUMX p.m., and on Sundays, only in the morning.

And the rest of the year, the afternoon hours are from 15 to 18 p.m.

The days the church closes They are Monday, Tuesday and Sunday afternoons.

Finally, it should be noted that on this visit you will find yourself in one of the best examples of the so-called Spain emptied, because apart from its very few residents, in this town there is no landline, nor does the cell phone signal reach, nor Internet.

What's more, there is no connection to call 112 when an emergency occurs, such as the recent house fire, when to call the firefighters, the neighbors had to take a car and go up to the top of the port to get a telephone connection. .

Map: how to get to Peñalba de Santiago in El Bierzo

Penalba de Santiago is in the Leonese Bierzo, 22 kilometers south of Ponferrada.

Photos of Peñalba de Santiago and El Bierzo de León

Here you have more photos of Peñalba de Santiago, as well as the Mozarabic church of Santiago de Peñalba.