In San Vicente de la Barquera they certify that there are not two without three. At least in relation to holy years. The unusual Xacobeo 2021 extended until December 2022 is joined by the fact that this spring the Lebaniego Jubilee year has begun. Three consecutive holy years! This means that thousands of pilgrims have passed and will pass through this Cantabrian town, some on their way to Compostela, and others on their way to the monastery of Santo Toribio de Liébana.
San Vicente de la Barquera is an exceptional case. Two pilgrimage routes that Unesco recognizes as world heritage converge. Obviously the coastal Camino de Santiago runs parallel to the Cantabrian. Something palpable in the monumental remains of Barquera, such as those of the Hospital de la Concepción, created in the 14th century to care for pilgrims who traveled the coast or who disembarked here from remote Atlantic ports.
In fact, the historical chronicles speak of more Jacobean hostels and hospitals in San Vicente de la Barquera. And even in the walls of the city the Pilgrim's Gate is preserved, an obligatory step for them. But not all those travelers of faith were heading to Galicia. Closer, without leaving Cantabria, there is another sacred place: the monastery of Santo Toribio, fervently venerated for centuries.
The reason is that the Lignum Crucis is kept in that monastery in the Liébana valley. What is the Lignum Crucis? Neither more nor less than the one considered as the largest piece of the cross of Jesus Christ. A relic that has become an object of pilgrimage and destination of the Cantabrian Camino Lebaniego that precisely starts from San Vicente de la Barquera.
The route from this population to the lebaniego monastery extends 72 kilometers. Which is equivalent to three stages to walk from the shores of the Cantabrian until reaching the foothills of the Picos de Europa. Some peaks visible from the fishing village. And it is that the geographical location and the landscape around San Vicente de la Barquera is one of its great attractions of the place.
When it is said that it is a fishing village, it is not a cliché. It is a place completely surrounded by water. Several rivers such as Peña Candiles, Escudo or Gandarilla join their waters at the foot of the village. There marshes and the estuary of San Vicente are formed. An authentic estuary with a changing appearance thanks to the high and low tides of the brave Cantabrian Sea. That is why the estuary is the refuge for an important local fleet.
One way or another, wealth has always come by sea. Even her employer came sailing. Tradition tells that a humble boat arrived here, which, because it did not have sails, had no sailors at the oars, and no crew member at the helm. Only the image of the Virgin. A figure that is still honored in the sanctuary of La Barquera located, it could not be otherwise, at the very entrance to the fishing port.
However, it is not the most important temple in the town. Not even the oldest. That honor falls to the church of Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles. Its Gothic construction began around the 13th century, a time when San Vicente de la Barquera began a splendid period. In those same years, the walls and the King's castle were also built, which still stands in the upper part of the historic center and which, after being abandoned for a while, has been restored as a cultural space and tourist attraction.
The fact is that in that century the Castilian king Alfonso VIII granted privileges to the town and the development of the port of San Vicente de la Barquera was cemented. Today it is still active with a few boats that unload the fresh fish that enriches the local gastronomy and that is enjoyed in the many restaurants located near the docks, in the lively Arcades.
Although this port once had more vitality. It even had shipyards to build whalers that set sail to capture large cetaceans from very distant and northern seas. And over time those shipyards were also used to create warships used in a thousand and one wars against other European countries.
Some of these battles were promoted by one of the most illustrious visitors to the town. A very young Prince Carlos, grandson of the Catholic Monarchs and son of Juana la Loca, who in 1517 landed in Asturias from his native Flanders, thus having his first contact with that Spain in which he would reign for decades. But before being crowned, he toured various places on the Cantabrian coast, including San Vicente de la Barquera.
It is known that the future Carlos I stayed in the convent of San Luis, whose architecture today is romantic ruins embellished by the exuberant vegetation of the area. This corner of the town's heritage is on the outskirts of the historic area but a step away from the monumental icon of San Vicente de la Barquera: the Maza bridge.
It is a very long bridge that when it was built in the 15th century had 32 arches over the waters of the estuary. The legend says that whoever crosses it without breathing will fulfill all his wishes. But given its length of half a kilometer, it is difficult not to catch your breath when crossing it. It is also rare to do it without stopping to contemplate the beautiful panorama of the surroundings. The image that has become the postcard of San Vicente de la Barquera and also the best point to start the historic Camino Lebaniego.
Crossing the bridge of La Maza is a must for Jacobean and Lebaniego pilgrims. But crossing it in the opposite direction means approaching the beaches of San Vicente de la Barquera. Some are truly unique, such as Oyambre in the heart of the natural park of the same name or Merón, the widest of all and boldly open to the waves of the Cantabrian Sea.
Calmer are the beaches integrated into the San Vicente estuary. There stands out the cozy Tostadero beach. It is not very big, and even less so when the high tide arrives, but it is perfect for enjoying a bath, the sun and beautiful views of the town, the marshes and the Picos de Europa in the background.
