Puntos de Interés
Municipality
Villarmero
Villarmero is a village located in the valley of the River Ubierna, in the comarca of Alfoz de Burgos, today part of the municipality of Alfoz de Quintanadueñas.
Close to this village, which is three kilometres from the municipal capital, Quintanadueñas, and eight kilometres from Burgos, we can find the Santander-Mediterranean railway line, which gives its name to this Nature Trail.
In 1976 it disappeared as such when it was merged to became part of Alfoz de Quintanadueñas. In fact, the village's coat of arms contains five golden stars, one for each of the villages that became part of Alfoz: Quintanadueñas, Villarmero, Arroyal, Páramo del Arroyo and Marmellar.
This is one of the youngest villages in Castilla y León, with a high birth rate: 108 of the 355 inhabitants registered in 2019 were children. Although it is small, it does offer some noteworthy services such as the "Junta Vecinal de Villarmero” civic centre, which promotes the social life of its inhabitants, the Adolfo Suarez park and a hotel and cafeteria.
The most important building is undoubtedly the Church of San Martín, which was completely renovated a few years ago when the roof collapsed. On the outside, its most outstanding feature is a bell gable, the oldest thing that has been preserved, built in ashlar stone. The walls are made of masonry. The bell tower is particularly noteworthy. During the renovations, the entire roof was replaced. The inside of this single-nave church is divided into two parts, the sacristy and the baptistery.
Inside, the church is quite modern. The choir was removed during the renovation and a new chancel was built. There was once baroque altarpiece which has been replaced by a mural painted by a local graffiti artist. The image represents the risen Christ, incorporating the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove and the hands of God the Father who welcomes all. It is therefore a Trinitarian mural. Some images are also preserved, such as those of San Isidro, patron saint of the village, and San Martín, patron saint of the parish, depicted as a bishop.
There are also figures of San Pedro, San Pablo, and the Virgin, all belonging to the old altarpiece, of which only the columns used in the current altar have been preserved. The baptismal font has been enlarged and some carvings of the evangelists have been recovered from the pews and are now free-standing on the wall. The arch and the presbytery remain from the old church, although they have been completely remodelled.
The most important local festivals in Villarmero are those of San Isidro, its patron saint, held on 15 May. During this weekend, a marquee is set up in the threshing floor and an open-air festival is held with various entertainment activities. For San Martín, a popular morcillada or community black pudding-based feast is held in the area.
