Puntos de Interés
Culture
Chapel of San Miguel
The ancient chapel of San Miguel, situated on the hills near Pinilla de Fermoselle and overlooking the meandering Duero River, is worthy of note. Upon arrival at the sanctuary, visitors will enjoy magnificent views of the Arribes del Duero Natural Park, where the sanctuary is located.
It was built between the 11th and 14th centuries. The church is built of carefully crafted masonry and has a gabled roof. The building is crowned with a magnificent belfry, which is topped by a cross with a single, large opening in the form of a round arch. Inside the belfry is a bell. This prominent feature serves to confirm the architectural style of the chapel, thereby characterising it as a Romanesque chapel. The chapel has undergone several restorations, yet it still retains another distinctive feature, the triumphal arch window that adorns the western side of the modest chapel beneath the belfry. The façade also features robust buttresses on the sides of the chapel.
The chapel's interior features a wooden roof, whitewashed walls, and a distinctive deformed semicircular arch that separates the headwall from the nave. The simple building has a carved wooden Christ and religious figures on its flat altar.
The area around the chapel of San Miguel is of interest, as it is near the remains of huts that were used to control the smuggling of contraband to Portugal. The area's excellent vantage point made it an ideal location for monitoring illicit tobacco, wool, coffee, soap and other contraband goods being transported across the Duero River.
The hermitages of San Miguel are usually located at the top of the moors or mountains. The chapel of Pinilla is notable for its views of the deep gorge of the Duero river. Miguel de Unamuno described these views: “In one of the folds of this terrain are hidden the deep gorges, the craggy gorges, the imposing knives, the erect esfayaderos, under which, there, in the depths, the Duero lives and runs, either foaming the rocks that have not yet yielded to its stubborn work, or plunging in slopes, or stopping for a moment to rest in narrow backwaters, or, finally, humming under the crags in the spurges”.
The festivities in honour of the patron saint of San Miguel, which take place on the weekend closest to 8 May, include a procession from the village church to the chapel. In the traditional march, the image of the saint is carried on the shoulders to the rhythm of the drummers, while the image of the traditional banner is displayed.