Culture

La Ribera Hermitage

An old Burgos legend says that there was once an ancient cave where the Virgen de la Ribera hermitage stands today.

An old shepherd used to take his herd to this place and, every day, he found an ox, which he heard bellowing from the cave. The man tried to take the ox away from there on several occasions, tucked in by his own cattle, but as soon as he got lost, the animal returned to the cave.

Puzzled by the animal's behaviour, the shepherd decided to go into the cave, looking for the reason why the ox preferred to stay there. It was then that he discovered the image of the Virgin. Enthusiastic, he ran to the village to tell the neighbours and it was decided that the best option was to take her, in a cart pulled by the ox, to Pedrosa so that they could worship her.

This was not possible, because when the cart reached the border of the town of San Martin de Porres, the ox stopped moving forward, unable to pull the cart. This did not happen if the ox changed direction. For this reason, the villagers finally decided to build a hermitage over the cave where the virgin, patron saint of the Merindad, had been found. Over the years the cave was blocked off and today you can contemplate the remains of the hermitage.

The temple, built in ashlar stone, consists of a single rectangular nave topped by a gable roof. The façade has a doorway with a semi-circular arch and three large openings. On the side there is a belfry with two 17th-century bells and a small circular tower.

Inside this hermitage several images are still preserved, among which a polychrome carving of the Virgin with the child from the second half of the 13th century stands out. It belongs to the group of virgins called Virgins of the Mantle and measures 58 centimetres high and 24 centimetres wide. There is also a sculpture of Saint John the Baptist, which in this case dates back to the 17th century and measures 87 centimetres high and 37 centimetres wide. Another of the elements that the hermitage preserves are a gilded silver chalice from Mexico and dating back to the 18th century.

To celebrate the festivities of San Martín de Porres, on 8th September, a morning mass is held in this hermitage, while in the afternoon the villagers can enjoy bowling and dancing next to the village church.