Villadangos del Páramo

Villadangos del Páramo is a town in the province of León set on the Páramo plain, a stop on the Camino Francés during the stage that leads from León toward Astorga. Its most distinctive monument is the parish church of Santiago, whose Baroque bell gable, raised between the 17th and 18th centuries, bears reliefs depicting the battle of Clavijo and the apparition of the Apostle Santiago to King Ramiro I; inside, an altarpiece preserves a remarkable equestrian carving of Santiago, sword raised, which reminds the pilgrim how deeply the Camino is rooted in this place. The town's name is also bound to the battle of 1111, when the troops of Queen Urraca faced those of her husband Alfonso I of Aragón in these fields. On the outskirts, the Laguna de Villadangos, included in the regional catalog of wetlands, shelters numerous birds and amphibians. Here the walker finds an albergue and basic services in a setting of wide horizons and open skies, characteristic of the Páramo of León. Villadangos del Páramo is one of those quiet stops that punctuate the crossing of the meseta, where devotion to Santiago becomes especially visible before facing the final stages toward Compostela.