Puente de Órbigo (León) (0)

Did you know that... Puente de Órbigo

It is located on the banks of the Órbigo River on its left bank. This small town was settled during the first half of the 12th century, and when the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem was established on the other bank of the river, Puente de Órbigo was linked to this hospital order, being an important order. Together with Hospital de Órbigo they form a single town hall.

To discover What to see in Puente de Órbigo?

The church of Puente de Órbigo, that of the bridge, as it is known, is dedicated to Santa María, in its belfry you can see throughout the year a good number of couples of storks that do not emigrate during the winter season. The irregular 13th century medieval bridge with restorations from different periods, the last ones from the 20th century, has Roman origin as it is located in the middle of the Roman road that went from León to Astorga, it joins Puente and Hospital, two towns in one that the Órbigo separates..

Festivities

Puente de Órbigo celebrates the 13th of June in honour of San Antonio, and also celebrates San Blas on the 3rd of February.

Curiosities

The Órbigo river does not have a classic spring on the slope of a mountain, it is born from the union of two rivers, the Moon and the Omaña that when they join their waters originate the Órbigo river. The name of Órbigo seems to derive etymologically from the Iberian word Ur-bikoa which means two rivers. But there is another theory that tells that the real river Orbigo is the one we know today by the river Luna, since its birth, and that the Omaña would be its tributary, since in times of the Count Luna he ordered to change the name and put his to the waters of the riverbed that passed through his county.

The Legend

A story is told and remembered about a young girl who in her adolescence had been a rebellious girl for the customs of the time she had to live and her parents confined her to a convent of nuns where she dedicated herself to reading books on medicinal plants. When she came of age, she left the convent to make a pilgrimage to Santiago. Arriving at Hospital de Órbigo, he liked the place so much that he decided to stay for a while. As he had learned a lot about medicinal plants in the convent, he chose to put it into practice in order to help the pilgrims who passed through here. He installed himself under the Roman bridge, in one of the small arches, so as not to occupy a place in the hospital and leave the bed for those who needed it most. He collected plants and with them towards potions and ointments to try to cure the pilgrims that until here arrived, this made the locals think of a madwoman or witch but little by little his confidence was gained, because he also attended to their needs. Every day they saw her carrying bundles of wood to make the fire, which earned her the name by which she is remembered "Maria Palos". Maria lived from what the pilgrims and the people of the town gave her for their attentions. One day she met and fell in love with a young fisherman from a nearby village. She married him and went to live in the boy's village, but this did not make him forget her and today the story of "María Palos" is still heard.