Discover Carriazo through its architectural history and festive traditions. Walking routes offer the chance to admire the manor house and chapel of the La Roza family. Other highlights include the Church of San Martín, documented as early as 927, and the Ermita de San Antonio on the Camino de Santiago. Together, these attractions appeal to a range of interests: religious architecture, religious art and traditions upheld by the community. When planning your visit, it helps to distinguish between the buildings, individual works of art and festivals.

San Martín: Architectural Features and Artwork

The Church of San Martín is documented as early as 927. This date marks the documentary record, not necessarily the year the present-day building was constructed. The current building has a nave covered by a star-ribbed vault, four side chapels—two on each side—a round tower at the west end and a polygonal apse closing the choir. The side chapels are arranged in pairs along the nave; the apse forms the end of the choir. A star-ribbed vault can be recognized by the star-shaped arrangement of its ceiling ribs, while polygonal describes a shape with multiple sides.

The side chapel on the Epistle side contains a small carved figure of the Virgen de la Higuera dating from the 17th century.

La Roza and Other Historical Landmarks

The La Roza complex comprises two entrance portals and a square coat of arms of the Solano Setién family. The Casona del Marqués de Valbuena in Carriazo is another historical landmark, dating from the second half of the 17th century. The dating of the Casona, the attribution of the sculpture and the documentary record of San Martín in 927 refer to different historical markers: the second half of a century, a century and a documentary record. They therefore cannot be read as a single, consistent construction chronology.

The Ermita de San Antonio on the Camino

The Ermita de San Antonio in Carriazo lies on the Camino de Santiago. Its Baroque façade features a doorway framed by panelled pilasters, a broken pediment and a bell gable. Pilasters are flat, pillar-like forms that project from the wall; panelled describes a design divided by recessed panels. A broken pediment has an interrupted upper edge, while a bell gable is a raised section of wall with openings for bells. These are three distinct features of the façade, while the ermita’s location on the Camino gives it a separate connection to the Way of St James.

Festivals and Community Traditions

The Cabalgata de Reyes de Carriazo, Castanedo y Galizano brings together three towns in Ribamontán al Mar. The tradition began in 1966 and is kept alive by the three village communities. By contrast, the festivals of San Roque and San Martín are associated with Carriazo. The San Roque festival on 16 August included folk music and dance, Romerías and a Chocolatada. Romerías are traditional religious festivities; a Chocolatada is a communal hot chocolate gathering. For the San Martín festival, residents gathered in the church and then stayed to eat and drink wine together. If you would like to plan your trip around one of the festivals, check the latest dates and programme details.

Discover more destinations: Valmeo, Voto, Villacarriedo, Olea, Cahecho, Ontoria, Cabezón De Liébana, Villaescusa

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