San Juan de Ortega

San Juan de Ortega is a deeply spiritual and historically significant enclave on the Camino Francés. This small Burgalian nucleus, born in the inhospitable Oca Mountains, owes its existence to San Juan de Ortega, a saint who dedicated his life to helping pilgrims. His monastery, from the 12th century, is a jewel of late Romanesque art. It's especially famous for "the miracle of light", a phenomenon that occurs on equinoxes, when a beam of sunlight illuminates an Annunciation capital. For the walker, it's an obligatory stop, a place of rest, history and mysticism, offering a refuge of peace after a demanding stage.