Covarrubias (Burgos)

What you can see and do in Covarrubias

Covarrubias is a medieval town of great tourist and cultural interest. Both its historical buildings and the medieval town centres are very evocative for travellers, who we recommend should enter the town under the Arch of the Archive of the Advance of Castile (16th century) in the style of the architect Herrero.

The Arch leads to the Square of Doña Urraca, the centre of the town, and from there to the Tower of Fernán González, also called the Tower of Doña Urraca, dating from the 10th century. It is a watchtower and defensive fortress close to the River Arlanzón. Its shape like a truncated cone and impressive silhouette give an idea of the importance of Covarrubias as an advance post in the Early Middle Ages.

The ex-Collegiate of St Cosme and St Damian is nearby. This is a mainly Gothic 15th century church which is worth visiting as numerous surprises can be seen inside: the cloisters, the famous 17th century Covarrubias organ, which is still in working order, the sepulchre of Fernán González, and the impressive parish museum with a large number of religious art objects, particularly the Triptych of the Wise Men, a polychrome carving from the late 15th or early 16th centuries.

From the collegiate, visitors can take the promenade of La Solana, parallel to the course of the river and the old walls, which were demolished in the 16th century on the orders of the personal physician pf King Philip II, the ‘divine’ Valles, so that the wind would sweep clean the streets of the town, which was beset by the plague. From there, you can cross some streets and small squares to the 15th century Church of St Thomas, built on an earlier Romanesque one of which some remains are preserved in one of its naves and in the font, which is Romanesque, like that of the neighbouring Mecerreyes. However, the most striking attraction is the stairs to the balcony, in a plateresque style.

From St Thomas’s Church, travellers can return to the Square of Doña Urraca to get their strength back in one of the town’s restaurant, specialised in Castilian dishes: olla podrida, roast lamb and home-made desserts based on fruit and cream.

You also should not miss

• Strolling round the streets. Memories of the Middle Ages are visible in the narrow streets of Covarrubias and in the small squares with porches, which were used for markets and meetings of the inhabitants. Most buildings in the old centre conserve the traditional building style based on adobe and timberwork.
• The ex-collegiate is another of the great attractions of Covarrubias and lovers of Gothic art will find many reasons to visit it. Equally, if you’re interested in the history of the foundation of Castile, it is one of the places you cannot miss because the tombs of Fernán González and some of his descendants are inside. The sarcophagi are very simple and not very flamboyant, but their interest does not lie in what visitors see but in their capacity to evoke the past.
• The Monastery of St Peter in Arlanza. 7km from Covarrubias, along a winding road that climbs into the Mamblas Mountains, among thick forests of oak, Spanish juniper and holm oak, the Monastery of Arlanza was possibly founded in the late 9th or early 10th centuries under the protection of the father of Fernán González. Although it is now in a state of semi-ruin, its Romanesque foundations are still evident even if the Gothic and Herrerian styles prevail. This is one of the monasteries from the foundation of Castile; and its location in lovely scenery next to the River Arlanza and the centuries of history accumulated in its walls fully justify a visit.

Rev.: JGG 16.09.21