Puntos de Interés
Municipality
Villacomparada
Just over a kilometre from Medina de Pomar we find the district of Villacomparada, known for having the most famous orchard in the region.
Also known as Villacomparada de Rueda, the first written reference to this village appears in Pascual Madoz's famous work, the Diccionario geográfico-estadístico-histórico de España y sus posesiones de Ultramar (Geographical-statistical-historical dictionary of Spain and its overseas possessions).
The town's famous orchard is made up of smallholdings separated by walls. The large number of canals and irrigation channels that carry the water from the rivers Salón and Trueba to these vegetable gardens is striking. The most popular product is lettuce, which now has its own designation of origin.
Villacomparada's architectural heritage includes the small church dedicated to Saint John the Evangelist. The church was built in the 15th century and has a single rectangular nave distributed in three main sections with a fourth, somewhat narrower one, where the chancel is located, covered by a tercelet vault. On the outside, the church is accessed through a simple doorway consisting of a pointed arch. It is recommended to use the visit to contemplate a 14th century Gothic image of the Crucified Christ.
It seems that the town also housed, at one time, three mills on the river Salon. Two of them were in the district of San Esteban, where there were also 3 chapels. The third one is still in use.
The festivities in Villacomparada are held on 5th March in honour of Santa Águeda. They end with the so-called "Robanabos trial", after which a bonfire is lit to carry out the sentence.