A 63-metre-high church tower, stone arcades and a castle from the era of Castilian manor houses: Ampudia brings together different architectural styles and periods. The town lies in Tierra de Campos and is considered an example of typical Castilian architecture and urban layout. The rural building styles and the landscape of the municipality also form part of this varied picture.
Townscape and castle history
Ampudia’s town centre was declared a historic-artistic ensemble in 1965. Along the main streets, Corredera and Ontiveros, the arcades preserve stone columns dating from the 17th century; some examples date from the 13th century. These two dates show that the arcades cannot be attributed to just one period.
Castillo de Ampudia is classified as a Castilian manor castle dating from the 15th century to the first decades of the 16th century. The “Recorridos Secretos” last almost two and a half hours and provide access to the keep and the dungeons. You can set aside this amount of time as a separate block in your day’s itinerary.
Collegiate church, chapel and museums
The tower of the collegiate church of San Miguel is 63 metres high and is known in the surrounding area as the “Giralda de Campos”. The church’s furnishings include a Baroque organ built by Tadeo Ortega in 1779. The tower and organ make different impressions: the height of the building on the one hand, and a dated work of Baroque organ craftsmanship on the other.
The history of the Ermita de la Virgen del Castrillo can also be traced through several dates. The present-day hermitage was rebuilt between 1621 and 1626, had its entrance porch added in 1648, and was partially restored in 2002. The sequence distinguishes the rebuilding, the addition of the porch and a later restoration, rather than grouping them together as a single construction date.
The Museum of Sacred Art is housed in the former 17th-century Franciscan monastery of San Francisco. The surviving church features late Renaissance architecture and Mudéjar decoration. The museum mainly houses works dating from the 12th to the 18th century, placing the building’s history alongside the wide chronological range of the artworks.
The Museo de la Medicina is housed in a historic building conceived as the Hospital de Nuestra Señora de Clemencia. The hospital was founded in the 15th century by Pedro GarcĂa de Herrera. The name of the former hospital and the building’s present-day use belong to different chapters of its history.
Landscape and rural building styles
The landscape encompasses a different geographical area from the town’s streets and buildings: the municipality of Ampudia is shaped by páramos, or high plateaus, also known as alcores, as well as campiñas and cuestas. These three features describe the landscape of the municipality, not just the built-up town centre.
Ampudia’s chozos give its rural heritage a tangible architectural form. They are single-storey, round stone buildings with a conical shape and a single interior space. They served as shelter for shepherds and, in some cases, as accommodation.
Midsummer festivities
The festival of the Virgen del Castrillo is still celebrated on the last Sunday in July. The former procession no longer takes place. In August, Ampudia also hosts a festival of paloteo and dance, dedicated to preserving the traditional paloteo dance. This brings together two distinct midsummer cultural highlights: the festival in honour of the Virgen del Castrillo and a festival centred on dance.
If you are planning your travel dates around either of these festivals, check the relevant programme: the exact arrangements may vary from year to year. The July festival is held on the last Sunday of the month; the August festival is described by its month and purpose.
Discover more destinations: Pedraza De Campos, Matalbaniega, Torquemada, Triollo, Magaz De Pisuerga, Vallejo De OrbĂł, Pomar De Valdivia, Moratinos.
For the broader travel overview: Palencia.
