Santo Domingo de la Calzada travel guide

Santo Domingo is a lovely town, worth a stop for anyone passing through the area. It is a town with a curious history behind it, mostly connected with the man for whom it is named. Born in 1019, Domingo dedicated his young life to the pilgrims who were passing through the area. He built a hospice, a bridge and generally improved the quality of the path; it’s no wonder he’s the patron saint of roadworkers and engineers in these parts. He made himself a simple tomb by the side of the camino before dying at the ripe old age of 90, but admirers later had him transferred to the cathedral, which was built in the town that grew up around his pilgrims’ rest stop.

In memory of this event a cartwheel is hung in the cathedral every 11 May. The chooks are the main attraction in their ornate coop, punctuating the pious air with the odd cock- a-doodle-doo . There’s a 16th-century retablo with a few nasty fleshy relics of various saints in small cases and a museum around the cloister. Climb onto the roof for some fresh air and a good view over the many narrow streets below. The guided visit includes the cloister and the small museum of religious artefacts.

There are several admirable buildings in the old town, which basically consists of three parallel streets and the northwest section of the old walls is still intact; pilgrims who have passed through Puente la Reina may experience a bit of déjà vu.