Grañón

The forested areas are located in two areas known as Monte Carrasquedo and Monte Alto. Monte Carrasquedo is to the south of the municipality. It is a relatively flat natural area, where common and Pyrenean oak trees dominate, although other species of tree such as kermes (carrasca) oak (the tree that gives its name to both the hill and chapel), maple, almond, and wild cherry are also present. In this area, there are also two different types of pine: Pinus sylvestris y Pinus radiata. The trees are surrounded by a wide range of bush species, such as hawthorn, heather, blackthorn, juniper, wild rose, blackberry, rockrose, and gorse. Other plant species that can be found in this area are: oregano, danewort, cardoon, mullein, goosefeet, and wild marjoram.[3]

Monte Alto occupies a smaller area and is populated almost completely with beech and Pyrenean oak trees, as well as a small repopulation of Pinus sylvestris. Among the beech trees, other plants such as anemone, violets, holly, hawthorn and heather also grow, as well as willow, almond, maple and wild cherry trees. In the Pyrenean oak area, juniper, heather, hawthorn and ferns grow, as well as both white and common broom.[3]

Birds such as the coal tit, crested tit, chaffinch, European serin and the woodpecker are common. Jays live among the conifers, and the robin and the common nightingale live in the clearings. In this diverse landscape birds of prey such as goshawks and sparrow hawks can be found, while black kites are often seen in open spaces. Among mammals, squirrels are abundant due to the large amount of tree cover, with field mice, wild boar, foxes and badgers also seen. Reptiles include green lizards and common wall lizards. Vipers are also occasionally seen, depending on the time of year.[3]

It is said that, many centuries ago, there was a dispute over an extensive dehesa located between the towns of Grañón and Santo Domingo. The inhabitants of Grañón observed with disgust at how the dehesa that they believed belonged to them was being used by their neighbours in Santo Domingo. The people of Santo Domingo argued that those lands belonged to them by right. The two sides could not come to an agreement and residents of both towns were constantly arguing and fighting. Eventually, an armed conflict broke out between the residents of the two towns. Representatives from both towns met up and decided that each town would choose one person to fight – unarmed – for the disputed lands. The winner would take the dehesa for their town.[5]

While Santo Domingo's chosen representative was a skilled fighter fed on a diet of select foods, Martín García, Grañón's representative, was a simple farmer and fed himself on a diet of caparrones (red kidney beans).[5]

The big day arrived. The Santo Domingo fighter had been covered in oil to stop the Grañonero from getting hold of him. To get around this issue, Martín García inserted a finger into his opponent's anus, which enabled him to pick him up and launch him far. With this, Martín García won La Dehesa for Grañón.[5]

In August, a celebratory pilgrimage takes place to the Cruz de los Valientes (Cross of the Brave), which is located between the two towns, in the same location where this battle supposedly took place. There, the dispute is commemorated alongside residents of Santo Domingo. Flowers are left in the name of Martín García and caparrones are eaten.

In 1995, the Grañonero singer Juancho Ruiz el Charro wrote the song La cruz de los valientes (The cross of the brave) which recalls the legend of Martín García.[6] It was performed at the cross in August 2001.

The medieval layout of Grañón was orientated around the San Juan monastery (now the parish church), which the village grew around. It is made up of four main longitudinal streets: Calle La Parrilla, Calle Santiago, Calle Mayor and Calle El Caño, with other streets cutting through these perpendicularly. Traditional civil architecture can be found in the oldest streets: Calle Santiago and Calle Mayor.[7]

Most houses are two storeys tall, with both ashlar and rubble masonry on the lower floor, and wood and brick on the upper floor. Many of the buildings’ façades house old coats of arms, which represent the families that the homes belonged to. The oldest houses date from the 16th and 17th centuries, but the originals have not been preserved due to restoration work. In Calle El Caño, there is a two-storey 18th-century house, with both floors made from ashlar and rubble masonry, lintelled openings and a balcony with iron fittings.[7]

Grañón's oldest square is Plaza de la Iglesia, which was built in the 17th century. The original San Juan monastery was located here. At the beginning of the 20th century two new squares were opened, Plaza del Hórreo and Plaza de Ávila.[7]

Other civil structures include the sinks and fountains, which are still used in the daily lives of locals today.[7]

In Grañón two lavoirs can be found in the town. These are simple structures that were used by women for washing clothes well into the 20th century. According to an unpublished study carried out by María Amor García Antolín, the oldest lavoir dates back to the 18th century and is situated at the end of Calle Las Cercas on the outskirts of town. The structure is made up of a rectangular wash basin, built into the floor and protected by a recently remodelled structure, open on two sides and covered by a roof with a wooden interior. The other lavoir is found in the middle of Calle Las Cercas, next to the fronton (Basque pelota court). This structure is made up of a fountain with four spouts built between 1862 and 1864, a circular drinking trough that dates back to 1885 and, attached to this, a sink with a large rectangular concrete basin that receives water from the fountain.[7]

The fountain in Plaza de Ávila is the second oldest in the village. It was built in 1926 and is located in the centre of the square. It consists of a main body with a single spout, now waterless, situated on top of a tank in the form of a shell. A basin is connected to it that used to serve as a drinking trough for animals, although nowadays it is no longer used for this purpose. Today its main purpose is decoration for the garden in which it is located. At the end of the 20th century a new stone fountain was constructed in Plaza del Hórreo, placed in a corner of the town hall's exterior, as an homage to pilgrims.[7]

Grañón has an important historical and artistic heritage associated with the growth that the town experienced during the Middle and Modern Ages, and with its close relationship to the Camino de Santiago. Various monasteries have been recorded that have disappeared over time, merging into the San Juan monastery around which the current town was founded. There was also a large number of chapels that no longer stand today. Today, historical interest is concentrated in the church of San Juan Bautista (where a small museum and sacristy can be found), the chapel of Nuestra Señora de Carrasquedo (Our Lady of Carrasquedo) and the Ermita de los Judíos (Chapel of the Jews).

Parish Church of San Juan Bautista

The church is located in the centre of the town, in Plaza del Hórreo. It is made up of a nave with three bays, a chancel and a three-sided octagonal apse. At the end of the apse is the sacristy, which extends to the south. The tower is formed of two bodies of ashlar. There are three portals: a semicircular arch at the foot of the apse, another made up of six pointed archivolts and a third one that is blocked up. Construction dates back to the 15th and 16th centuries, although the new sacristy and the tower are more recent. Various stonemasons took part in its construction, although only three of them are known by name: Grand Master Fernando (director of works in 1537), Juan de Huequel and Juan de Elgorriaga (who worked on the church until 1573).[8]

In terms of the interior, among noteworthy items are the baptismal font from the 12th century, the only part that remains of the original monastery, and the reredos dedicated to Saint John. This is a work of rich ornamentation, built between 1545 and 1556, and formed by plateresque motifs and reliefs within which sculptures full of movement were created. Among the artists that took part in the construction of the reredos are the craftsman of the architecture of the predella, Natura Borgoñón, sculptors Bernal Forment and Juan de Beaugrant and polychrome expert Francisco de Lubiano. This structure was restored in 1993. Also of note is the ashlar work on the 18 seats situated in the rood screen, which is a classical work from the 17th century.[8]

The church has been a Site of Cultural Interest in Spain under the category of monument since 1982.[9] The church in Grañón, as much as the village itself, has become a notable destination on the Camino de Santiago, both for its historical and artistic value, as well as the fact that it shares its space with the well-known parish albergue (Hospital de Peregrinos de San Juan Bautista) that is attached to its south side. Grañón's fame on the Camino led to its choice as one of the 20 landmarks on the French route of the Camino de Santiago on a programme produced to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the declaration of the Camino as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, an initiative which was developed during 2014.[10]

Ermita de Carrasquedo

Located 1.5 km south of the town of Grañón, this chapel is surrounded by a forest, within which the old Santa Cruz de Carrasquedo hospital was located (according to documentary sources). The current building is of baroque design from the end of the 17th century, with both ashlar and rubble masonry primarily used. It consists of a single nave with four bays, a rectangular apse and a sacristy. On the inside, the crossing is covered by a hemispherical dome with a cupola, while the rest of the nave is enclosed in a barrel vault with lunettes, supported on Corinthian pilasters and semicircular arches. The main altarpiece is baroque, and was initially constructed by Diego de Ichazo. It was restored in 1989. On the outside, there is an entrance with a semicircular arch supported by pilasters and with an entablature and a bell-gable. In the centre there is an image of the patron saint of Grañón, Our Lady of Carrasquedo.[11]

Ermita de los Judíos (Chapel of the Jews)

This chapel consists of a covered plateresque crossing that used to serve as a guide for pilgrims. This is why it is located at the exit of the town, on the junction of the Villarta-Quintana, Morales and Corporales roads.Inside there is a cross which sits on top of a Tuscan column where the following inscription can be read: “Hizole Bicente clérigo beneficiado en San Juan de Grañon”. Until recently, the chapel's altar was a mannerist altarpiece from the year 1540, in which Jesus can be seen being harassed and ridiculed by the Jews during the crowning with thorns in the presence of Caiaphas and Annas and other members of the Sanhedrin. The name of the chapel was inspired by this image. This altarpiece, belonging to the school of Damián Forment, was restored between the years of 2009-2010, and can now be found in the chapel adjoined to the parish church.[12] The Chapel of the Jews remains closed to the public all year round, except on Good Friday, the day when the traditional Via Crucis starts at the chapel and continues over to the chapel of Our Lady of Carrasquedo. From there, she is immediately returned to the village in procession with the lying Christ and Our Lady of Sorrows.