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VALLES PASIEGOS,
ESPLENDOR EN LA HIERBA
T EX TO VI OLETA G ONZLEZ / F OTOS JESS S NC H EZ
CUALQUIER POCA DEL AO SE PRESTA PARA DISFRUTAR DEL ETERNO VERDE DE LAS
PRADERAS DE LOS VALLES DEL PAS, PISUEA Y MIERA, SALPICADAS DE LA TRADICIONAL
CABAA Y JALONADAS CON UN RICO PATRIMONIO CULTURAL EN FORMA DE PALACIOS,
CASONAS E IGLESIAS PERTENECIENTES A DIFERENTES POCAS Y ESTILOS.
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E
l verde omnipresente de las praderas, lleno de bria: La Pasiega, Las Chimeneas, Las Monedas y El Casti-
fuerza en primavera y contenido en invierno, do- llo; esta ltima abierta al pblico y que cuenta con un Cen-
mina el paisaje del territorio denominado Valles Pa- tro de Interpretacin alojado en un edificio proyectado
siegos, que se extiende por las cuencas de los ros Pas, por el arquitecto y humorista Peridis- que ofrece al visitante
Pisuea y Miera. Todos sus matices imaginables estn en una panormica sobre las cavidades y sus pinturas.
esta zona, cuyo recorrido supone abrir un libro de historia En Puente Viesgo encontramos tambin el primer
y atravesar sus pginas andando entre vestigios que se re- ejemplo de la oferta balnearia existente en la zona. Dada
montan a la Prehistoria y llegan a la modernidad. la calidad de las aguas de estos valles, con innumera-
A pesar del desarrollo experimentado por la zona, bles surgencias termales, se gener una red de balnea-
cuando el visitante llega al rea ms profunda de esta rios cuyo origen se remonta al XVIII que, ms all de sus
comarca de Cantabria, a menudo tiene la sensacin de efectos teraputicos para infinidad de afecciones,
haber hecho un viaje hacia el pasado. brinda al viajero la posibilidad de recuperar fuerzas en
La tradicional forma de vida pasiega no ha desapare- sus instalaciones termales.
cido del todo y es frecuente encontrar an a sus poblado- Los otros dos balnearios, en Lirganes y Alceda, estn
res dedicados a los tradicionales quehaceres ganaderos. rodeados adems de unos espectaculares parques.
Su influencia secular en el territorio ha dado lugar a uno Unos kilmetros antes de llegar a Puente Viesgo es
de los paisajes ms peculiares de toda la cordillera can- imprescindible detenerse en Socobio para visitar la bella
tbrica, que en la actualidad merece ser explorado con colegiata de Castaeda, uno de los tres edificios ms
minuciosidad y espritu curioso. espectaculares del romnico en Cantabria.
Seguir el curso de los ros es una buena forma de Siguiendo la nacional 623 en direccin a Burgos y a
adentrarse por estas tierras, de marcado carcter rural. escasos kilmetros de Puente Viesgo nos desviaremos
Puente Viesgo es el punto de partida propuesto. Las la- hacia Soto Iruz para contemplar el monasterio francis-
deras de su monte Castillo esconden uno de los conjuntos cano, antiguo hospital de peregrinos en cuyas trazas in-
de cuevas con arte rupestre ms interesantes de Canta- tervinieron arquitectos de renombre como Juan de >>
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GUA DE VIAJE
INSTALACIN DE BEGOA CALZADA REALIZADA DENTRO DE LA INICIATIVA ARTESLES 2006 QUE LLEVA CADA AO A ESTE PARAJE
UNA VALIOSA MUESTRA DEL ARTE CONTEMPORNEO ACOMPAADA DE ACTIVIDADES PARALELAS.
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VALLES PASIEGOS, ESPLENDOR EN LA HIERBA
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GUA DE VIAJE
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VALLES PASIEGOS, ESPLENDOR EN LA HIERBA
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GUA DE VIAJE
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sonas, towers, mansions and rollos the Fbrica de Artillera (artillery factory) in
herldicos (heraldic columns), fruit of a the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
deeply-rooted stonemason tradition. The Visitors will soon be able to see an old mill
churches of San Jorge, in Penagos, and in the Mercadillo neighbourhood, which is
San Lorenzo, in Llerana, the bishops currently being restored.
gate of the Obregn mansion-manor The nature, virtually intact, is perfect
house and the original home of Lope de for walks across the whole area, espe-
Vega in Villafufre are but a few examples. cially in the Miera municipality, and it is
In Santa Mara de Cayn, we come very common to come across mountain
across two interesting examples of dis- dwellers, especially in the winter. The
trict Romanesque architecture: San An- capital, La Crcoba, is home to the de-
drs in Argomilla, which has a collection lightful parish church of Santa Mara and
of sarcophagi from the tenth to the thir- the cave of Sopea, a reproduction of a
teenth centuries, and Santa Mara de Palaeolithic cave showing what life was
Cayn. Very close by, the neighbour- like in the Alto Miera at the time.
WAY OF THE CROSS AT VALVANUZ hoods and remote corners of Esles fea- Finally, a suggestion: head up any of
ture houses arranged in rows and the three valleys until you reach the ports
Just a few kilometres east, following the emblazoned casonas, beautiful examples of Lunada (1,350 metres), Estacas de
indications of a Way of the Cross showing of popular and noble Cantabrian architec- Trueba (1,154 metres) or El Escudo
the way at the edge of the highroad, we ture on a well looked-after site. (1,011 metres), where you will be re-
come to the elementary sanctuary of La We leave the Pisuea valley and head to warded with stunning wild landscapes
Virgen de Valvanuz, venerated with great that of Miera. After visiting the mansion of barely visited by man.
devotion by the inhabitants of the district. Elsedo in Pmanes, which houses a fine
Next to it, an oak grove conceals a well- collection of contemporary Spanish works INTERPRETATION CENTRE AND
looked-after recreation area inviting trav- of art, we reach Lirganes, which has an- CAVES OF MONTE CASTILLO
ellers to stop for a rest or take a short other well-preserved urban site, fruit of the (PUENTE VIESGO)
stroll down a path along the river. economic boom brought to the district by
Monte Castillo, a limestone formation
with an altitude of 355 metres, is home to
a number of caves, some of which were
inhabited by Palaeolithic men who domi-
nated the neighbouring lands from there.
Four of these caves are sanctuaries of
Palaeolithic art (El Castillo, Las Chimeneas,
Las Monedas and La Pasiega) and con-
form a unique site thanks to the quality of
the paintings and archaeological remains.
Only one of them, the cave of El Castillo, is
open to visitors; the others are closed to
the public for conservation reasons.
With a length of 759 metres, the cave
was discovered in 1903 by Hermilio Al-
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VALLES PASIEGOS, ESPLENDOR EN LA HIERBA
calde del Ro and conserves a highly Nowadays, many of these cabins are matic tower, very unusual for the regional
complete stratigraphic cross-section cov- being transformed into houses or holiday architecture of the time. It later underwent
ering the Palaeolithic right up to the homes, but many can still be seen in the other reforms but it is a beautiful building
Bronze Age. This is in addition to the municipalities of Selaya, Villacarriedo and with some interesting features inside, such
wealth of parietal art, with over 150 cat- Valle de Pas or in the high regions of as the tomb of the Abbot of Castaeda
alogued animal figures and more than Santa Mara de Cayn. The oldest exam- with a recumbent statue (dating back to
five hundred negative hands. ples in the district can be seen at the the fourteenth century).
In the Miera municipality, visitors can headwaters of the Pisuea, around Losa, The walls of this place of worship also
see the cave of Sopea, a reproduction upstream of the centre of Pisuea. house magnificent capitals and modillions
of the Salitre II cave during Palaeolithic The Ethnography Museum of the Pas decorated with vegetation and animal
times that gives visitors the chance to Towns, located in Vega de Pas, gives vis- iconography.
walk through a very beautiful grotto and itors the chance to find out more about
learn about day-to-day life for the Palae- this lifestyle with its wide-ranging display T Bishopric of Santander. Guided visits:
olithic inhabitants of Alto Miera. of tools, costume and photographs. July and August (every day), April
Another museum, La Casa de la Beata, (Easter Week), June and September
T Interpretation Centre and Caves of located near Valvanuz, has a photogra- (weekends) and December (long week-
Monte Castillo (Puente Viesgo) phy exhibition of wet nurses, the women end of the feast day of La Inmaculada
Tel. 942 598 425 of Pas who helped nurse the offspring of and Christmas).
T Sopea cave (La Crcoba) other women in nineteenth-century Spain, T Opening hours: 10:00 a.m. to 1:30
Telephone numbers for information: including some of royal lineage. p.m. and 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Closed
628 704 715 / 942 539 819 on Mondays (and during the celebra-
942 592 999 T Ethnography Museum of the Pas tion of religious services).
Towns. Vega de Pas T Telephone number for information:
PAS CABIN Tel. 942 595 07 942 840 317 (Diocesan Museum).
T Casa de la Beata
The Pas cabin is the icon of a way of life Santuario de Valvanuz Selaya
connected to livestock that is gradually Tel. 942 590 249
disappearing: the life of the Pas people,
COLLEGIATE CHURCH OF SANTA
Iglesia de San Andrs. Em-
CRUZ DE CASTAEDA
plazado sobre una pequea eleva-
cin, junto al palacio de Ceballos,
This beautiful collegiate church is one
of the three Romanesque jewels of este templo romnico fue un seo-
Cantabria, together with those of San ro abacial que muestra algunas si-
Martn de Elines and Cervatos. It was militudes con Castaeda.
around this church that the first settlement
of Pisuea was formed, whose activity
Iglesia de San Jorge en
supported the abbey. The original building Penagos. Levantada en el siglo
took the form of a Latin cross but it was XVI, cuenta con una robusta torre y
extended with a transept around the unas relajantes vistas sobre el
twelfth century. It is finished off with a pris- valle de Penagos.
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