Puntos de Interés
Municipality
Quintanilla Vivar
Quintanilla Vivar is located in the valley of the River Ubierna. In the past, the village was called Quintanilla Morocisla and there are documents that attest to the existence of a settlement in the vicinity as early as 882. Despite its proximity to the city of Burgos, Quintanilla Vivar maintains the typical appearance and structure of a Castilian village where agriculture - the main economic engine of the area throughout its history - has continued to mark the construction of much of the civil architecture of the late 19th and 20th centuries.
In terms of the municipality's heritage, the Church of Santa Eulalia de Mérida, which is accessed via a bridge over River Ubierna, stands out. Just three kilometres from Quintanilla Vivar is the Monastery of Nuestra Señora de Fresdelval, declared a Protected Cultural Heritage site. This monument, which is now privately owned, was built in the early 15th century by order of the Adelantado Mayor of Castile, Gómez Manrique, and was home to the Hieronymite order, known in English as the Order of Saint Jerome. In the 19th century, the Order was evicted and its assets confiscated. The monastery features a cloister from the 15th century. The exterior walls of what was once the church are also preserved, as well as numerous coats of arms, artistic pieces and monastic outbuildings.
Residents of Quintanilla Vivar is mark their calendars for the Thanksgiving feast, which takes place annually on the last weekend of August. The other big date is 10 December, the feast day of Santa Eulalia, the patron saint of the municipality.