Villafranca del Bierzo travel guide

West of Ponferrada, the Camino de Santiago heads west to Galicia and the road leads into dark wooded uplands. The next stop for most Santiago-bound walkers is Villafranca del Bierzo. An attractive town, it’s a nice spot to gather strength and spirit before the long ascent into Galicia. In medieval times, many pilgrims were by this stage not physically capable of continuing into the harsher terrain and weather conditions. That being the case, if they reached the church here, they were granted the same absolutions and indulgences as if they had completed the whole journey to Santiago. The Iglesia de Santiago is where they had to go, at least from when it was built in the late 12th century. Although Romanesque, it’s unusual in form, with a cavernous, barn-like interior with a calming feel. There’s a crucifixion above the simple altar, with Christ looking very old and careworn; the side chapel is a more recent affair with an 18th-century retablo. The side door, the Puerta del Perdón, is what the pilgrims had to touch to receive all the spiritual benefits of their journey. It has some nice capitals around it, including one of the three wise men cosily bunked up in a single bed.