Medieval Miracles
Perhaps of even more historical significance is the 11th century town of Santo Domingo de la Calzada. A major station on the Way of St. James, the road to Spain’s most revered shrine, Santiago de Compostela, the town grew up around an inn built by St. Dominic (Santo Domingo) to shelter and feed pilgrims en route to the shrine. Today’s pilgrims, otherwise known as tourists, can still find food and lodging in this medieval treasure that faces the town’s square.
Directly across from the inn is the Gothic cathedral, site of one of the venerable saint’s miracles. A chaste young pilgrim, on his way to the shrine at Santiago de Compostela, attracted the attention of a lusty serving girl at the inn. Angered when he rebuffed her advances, she planted a silver goblet among his possessions and betrayed him to the local official.
As the punishment for theft was death, the innocent pilgrim was hanged. When his grieving parents arrived at the gallows, however, they found him very much alive, proclaiming that Santo Domingo, knowing of his innocence, had saved his life. Overjoyed, they rushed to the house of the official, who was just sitting down to dinner, to inform him of the miracle they had witnessed.
Incredulous, the official scornfully replied that the young pilgrim was as alive as the roast cock and hen of which he was about to partake, whereupon the two birds leapt from the plate and began crowing and clucking.
To this day, a live rooster and hen are kept inside the cathedral as testament to the power of miracles.
Historic Paradors
Sleeping in a medieval castle or a stately palace or lodging in a cloistered abbey where ghostly Gregorian chants echo your footsteps may seem like something out of a romance novel, but visitors to Spain find it easily accomplished.
The government operates a network of 94 paradors throughout the country — guest accommodations in some of Spain’s most historically significant buildings, from mansions to monasteries. The La Rioja region has two of the most exquisite of these historic jewels: the aforementioned Santo Domingo de la Calzada in the town of the same name and Parador de Argomaniz in the hamlet of Argomaniz.
At the former, you can feel the presence of the 12th-century pilgrims who first received hospitality from Santo Domingo; at the latter, you can sleep in a splendid Renaissance palace where Napoleon Bonaparte regrouped before attacking the nearby town of Vitoria during the Peninsular Wars.
It seems that in La Rioja, you can not only walk in the footsteps of those who helped shape Spain’s history, you can also sleep in their beds.
And don’t forget, you can get a pretty good bottle of wine as well.
