Aguilar de Codes
CODES SAW
The Camino de Santiago through the Aguilar Valley
The Camino de Santiago originated in the Middle Ages with the discovery of the tomb of the apostle Saint James the Greater, which sparked a wave of Catholic pilgrimages whose goal was to reach the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, where his crypt is located. Since then, the passage of pilgrims through Aguilar de Codés has been documented.
The Jacobean Route through Aguilar de Codés
The Jacobean route in Aguilar de Codés begins in Fuentes Frías, a place on the border with Azuelo. Here, a source of abundant fresh water gives its name to this space, ideal for walkers to rest and regain strength. After a rest, the path continues in a comfortable and relatively flat manner. After about 500 meters, you reach the hermitage of San Bartolomé, a well-preserved Romanesque jewel, with the door always open for visitors. Above the entrance you can admire one of the best chrismons in Tierra Estella. From here, you can see the horizon, the silhouette of Aguilar de Codés and the La Población rock. Continuing along the path, you reach a road that goes up to the town, where you will find a small chapel dedicated to San José. From this point, a path to the right, quite steep, leads to the town at 731 meters above sea level, where it is accessed, leaving a tower of the old walled enclosure on the left. Read more
Parish of the Invention of the Holy Cross
This medieval Gothic-style building was built in two stages with some baroque additions from the 18th century. The church has a single nave of four sections with side chapels between the buttresses, a wide transept, a pentagonal chancel and a high choir at the foot. It has a beautiful tower in which the shell of Santiago is embedded, testimony that the town was part of the Camino until it was diverted during the Carlist wars.
Hermitage of San Bartolomé
This is one of the most interesting buildings in Aguilar de Codés, in the late Romanesque style. Its interior is sober, with thick ashlar walls that form a single nave with two sections and a wide semicircular head with three flared windows in the apse. These elements indicate a date before 1192, the year in which, according to the inscription in the apse, Arnaldo, priest and archdeacon of Angoulême, was buried here. This burial documents the passage of Jacobean pilgrims through Aguilar de Codés, where there was a pilgrim hostel during the Late Middle Ages. Before the founding of the town, the hermitage was already part of a minor itinerary of the Camino de Santiago.
Above the entrance door you can see one of the most spectacular chrismons in Tierra Estella. In the center, an "Agnus Dei" (Lamb of God) holds the book of the gospels between its front legs, flanked by two kneeling angels and two flowers that enhance the beauty of this chrism.
Hermitage of San Cristóbal
This small rectangular building with a single nave of five sections was built in modern times, although possibly taking advantage of the remains of an old hermitage. In the presbytery there is a baroque altarpiece from the mid-17th century.
Roman road
An important Roman road passed through Aguilar de Codés, which would later be part of the Camino de Santiago and the Camino Real.
Medieval Wall
Parts of the walls of the old fortress of Aguilar de Codés are still preserved. On the urban route, you can see a restored tower, whose defensive location in an elevated place commands a great panoramic view.
hermitage of san jose
Located on the road from Azuelo to Aguilar de Codés, this modern hermitage houses a small carving of Saint Joseph from an altarpiece in the church.
Civil architecture
The remains of the still existing defensive wall and the coats of arms on the facades of the oldest houses in the municipality stand out.
Old Fountain and Laundry
In the lower part of the town, entering from the west, is La Fuente Vieja with its laundry, a set of ashlar stone. The environment has been renovated with tables and benches as a picnic area, ideal for enjoying peace and tranquility in the middle of nature.
Emblazoned Houses
Aguilar de Codés follows the typical scheme of a city road, with an urban layout of two large parallel streets. One of them, La Solana, follows the line of the old defensive wall. The houses, mostly made of stone or ashlar, date back to around 1600, and many of them sport beautiful coats of arms.
