Covarrubias: route of the viking princess who died of grief
There is a chapel dedicated to a Viking saint in the very heart of Castilla. And also a path that bears his name, San Olav, that runs between the city of Burgos and Covarrubias. Everything has an explanation: the adventures of a princess, Kristina from Norway. Interest in historical memory leads me in its footsteps. Although a sullen air runs, I take the opportunity to pick up the bundle and walk through these places where they assure me that the skies look young and handsome, the sharp profiles of the nearby peaks dig into the space and the pine groves paint airy and full of freshness.
The suggestive story that I recall began more than 750 years, when a beautiful blonde Norwegian princess, Kristina Haakonson, daughter of King Haakon IV, abandoned his Viking homeland to travel to distant Castile. Her destiny was to marry one of the brothers of King Alfonso X the Wise. After the long and difficult journey, Kristina entered Castile at the end of 1257. The Castilian king made a gallant gesture with the princess and allowed her to choose a husband among her marriageable brothers.
In the heart of Castilla there is a path dedicated to a Viking saint, San Olav
The lucky one was the infant Felipe, that before the attractive Norwegian did not hesitate to give up his promising future as Archbishop of Seville. Yes, the couple moved to live in the city of the Guadalquivir, that had just been conquered; but, despite enjoying a bright climate and a life gifted between luxurious palaces and heavenly gardens, the princess fell ill with melancholy and died four years after her wedding. His last wish was to build a temple in honor of Saint Olav, norwegian patron.
The princess's wish was about to be forgotten forever, until 2011 a chapel dedicated to the Nordic saint was inaugurated in the vicinity of Covarrubias. The choice of the place was not accidental, since Kristina is buried in this Burgos villa. As a tribute to the princess and Saint Olav, an itinerary has been drawn up that allows visiting the 60 kilometers that separate Burgos from Covarrubias.
The last wish of Princess Kristina was that a temple be built in honor of Saint Olav. Had to wait until 20111
I start the road under the shadow of the Gothic cathedral of the capital and, taking advantage of the route of a railway converted into a greenway, I walk the region of Alfoz de Lara on the way to San Olav. After passing, among other locations, by Cardeñadijo, Los Ausines and Quintanalara, the route leads me to cross the Sierra de Peñalara, that keeps legendary resonances of the Seven Infants of Lara and Count Fernán González, and I approach the hermitage of Quintanilla de las Viñas, jewel of Visigothic art.
In this place the most interesting section of the route begins. In just a dozen kilometers I chain a medieval castle, a megalithic dolmen, a site with dinosaur footprints and a gorge covered by junipers. I only have to walk another three kilometers until Covarrubias, where I should not stop visiting in the cloister of its former collegiate church, the tomb where the protagonist of this story rests.
The tomb of the Nordic princess is in the former collegiate church of Covarrubias
In this town of royal birth and medieval framework I discover an excellent observatory to study the typical Castilian urbanism of cobbled streets, arcaded houses, whitewashed and half-timbered houses with beam, noble stone portals, gates with shutters, windows, bars, eaves, callers and other details that have been lost elsewhere. A traveler who loves the past as a servant begins to suffer from the first symptoms of Stendhal Syndrome. Overwhelmed by so much monumental beauty, managed to identify an unusual Mozarabic tower (X century) by Fernán González or Doña Urraca, the daughter of Alfonso VI, wife of Alfonso the Battler and mother of Alfonso VII.
Then, I come face to face with the no less fascinating collegiate church of San Cosme y Damián, On whose altar rest the remains of three infantas abbesses and in the presbytery those of Count Fernán González and his wife Sancha; the latter in a Spanish-Roman tomb from the 4th century. The cloister is from the 16th century and the museum, essential visit, preserves one of the most beautiful works of Flemish Gothic imagery: the triptych of the Adoration of the Magi, 16th century.
A traveler who loves the past begins to suffer from the first symptoms of Stendhal Syndrome
The visit to Covarrubias is coming to an end. I will take advantage of the late afternoon to arrive at the hotel and rest a little. But the time machine doesn't stop. Tomorrow, without leaving the province of Burgos, I will head to Atapuerca. In the heart of these fascinating prehistoric ruins I will be able to learn a new story, that of the discovery of the fossil remains of the oldest human beings in the Old Continent.
If you want to read more stories from Javier Ramos: www.lugaresconhistoria.com
Comments (2)
Pascual
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Precious story I did not know. Our country is full of these types of stories that invite you to travel and get to know it better. I write it down as the next route. Let's see if I find the viking!
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Pedro Gonzalez
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Great story. I didn't know her either. Thanks!!
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