Information about Rabanal del Camino
Rabanal del Camino is a town that belongs to the municipality of Santa Colomba de Somoza in the region of Maragatería, province of León, in the autonomous community of Castilla y León.
This village of approximately 60 inhabitants, is an important part of the itinerary of the pilgrims who walk the Camino a Santiago. Here you find all kinds of services, since the economic activity of the place depends on the pilgrimage and its history tells us that it has always been this way.
There are records that indicate that since the Middle Ages Rabanal had a role in the Pilgrim’s Way to Santiago de Compostela. It had several hospitals and churches administered by the Templar monks. It is also known that this village was a meeting place for pilgrims before facing Mount Irago.
What to see and do in Rabanal del Camino
Santo Cristo de la Vera Cruz Chapel
Located at the entrance to the village of Rabanal del Camino, it will be the first thing you see when you enter Rabanal. It is a construction that dates back to the 18th century and where you will find an inspiring image of Christ crucified.
Hermitage of San José
The Chapel of San José is located in the Main Street, it is a construction of the XVIII century that shows an impressive main altarpiece of baroque style and exhibits the statues of San José, Santa Bárbara and the apostle Santiago.
Hospice of San Gregorio
The importance of Rabanal del Camino in the Pilgrim’s Way is shown by the existence of several hospital institutions. The most important was the one dedicated to St. Gregory. Medieval hospitals are far from being exclusively places dedicated to health care. Its main objective would be to offer the pilgrim a minimum of care consisting of bedding, salt, water and fire for one night, thus meeting the basic needs of the tired pilgrims. The building of the Hospital de San Gregorio de Rabanal is currently in a state of semi-ruin.
House of the Four Corners
It is interesting because it seems that Philip II may have spent the night in this house in Calle Real on his pilgrimage to Santiago in 1554, when he was on his way to embark in A Coruña to marry Mary Tudor in England.
Church of the Assumption
The church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción, located in Rabanal del Camino, from the XII century, declared as an Asset of Cultural Interest and one of the few remaining temples of the Leonese rural Romanesque.
