Church of Santiago Apóstol

In Calzada de los Molinos, in the province of Palencia, stands the Church of Santiago, dedicated to the apostle St James, who gives his name to so many parishes across Castile and León. It is the kind of building worth seeking out when travelling at a leisurely pace through the villages of Palencia: a landmark in the local landscape and a good excuse to stop for a while.

Little documented information about this church is readily available to visitors, so a visit here has something of a personal discovery about it. It is best to arrive without a fixed plan and let the building tell its own story: its silhouette, its walls and its relationship with the surrounding houses say a great deal about the village that built it and has looked after it ever since.

The dedication to St James the Apostle is no minor detail either. It is one of the most cherished in Spanish religious tradition, and finding it in a Castilian village helps you understand the importance this figure has had in the life of communities such as Calzada de los Molinos.

We recommend including it in a wider route through the province of Palencia, combined with a gentle stroll through the village streets. Before you go, it is worth asking locally about opening times, as in many rural churches access to the interior depends on the availability of local residents or the parish. Even if you can only admire it from the outside, the visit leaves you with the sense of having discovered a genuine corner of Castile, far from the busier tourist trails.