Valdeviejas (León) (0)

Did you know that... Valdeviejas

It is located in the Maragata region, just over a kilometre from Astorga, to the right of the Jacobean Way. Previously it formed a municipality with Castrillo de los Polvazares, today it is a hamlet of Astorga. It is known that in Valdeviejas there was a pilgrims' hospital because of documents dating from the 15th century that refer to it.

To discover What to see in Valdeviejas?

Valdeviejas has little traditional architecture. In its urban area, its recently restored parish church stands out, dedicated to San Verísimo, a 4th century Lisbon martyr and closely related to Santiago de Compostela, as its relics rest in the city of the Apostle, at the express wish of Pope John II, who in 1475 arranged for them to be moved to the Monastery of the nuns of Santiago. The church had an altarpiece dating from the fourteenth century that is currently preserved in the Museum of the Roads of Astorga. On leaving the village and in the middle of the Jacobean route you can admire the medieval hermitage of Ecce Homo. It is believed that at first it could have been an open transept and that it was closed with side walls, although it has undergone several restorations and remodelling, the hermitage still maintains a halo of legend and the simplicity that gives it its character. On the outside you can see a simple belfry with a bell and a pleasant portico that welcomes the weary pilgrim.

Festivities

Valdeviejas celebrates different festivities throughout the year. It celebrates Ecce Homo in May, the Sacramental on the first Sunday in August and its patron Saint Verísimo on the first weekend in October.

Traditions

The hermitage of Ecce Homo in Valdeviejas was originally dedicated to St. Peter, there was a well that supplied water to pilgrims and locals and in the place and according to legend also arose the miracle whose protagonists were a woman, her small son and the work of the miraculous event, Ecce Homo. And since then, according to tradition, the chapel changed its name and as the inscription on it says, it may be that in memory of this event, Echa alms traveller to this saint Ecce Homo, and instantly you will see as salts of the quagmire.​

Curiosities

Valdeviejas is known for producing the Pico Pardal chickpea on its land and having the designation of origin, without which the famous "cocido maragato" would not be the same, as this chickpea gives it its characteristic flavour and texture.