Zamarramala: Pilgrim Routes, Churches and Festival Traditions

Local traditions have specific calendar dates, while the routes, church and archaeological site offer other, distinct points of interest. You can therefore plan your trip either around a festival or around your interest in pilgrimage routes and cultural heritage.

Pilgrim Routes and Accommodation Requirements

Zamarramala is part of the Camino de Santiago de Madrid. The Camino de San Frutos also passes through the town, both along its original route and an alternative route. The latter includes a 58.2-kilometre section that does not follow the main route. The routes therefore differ in their course; the distance refers to the section that deviates from the main route.

A special accommodation option for pilgrims is the Fuente del Pájaro pilgrim hostel in Zamarramala. It is open exclusively to people walking the Camino de Santiago or the Camino de San Frutos. An official pilgrim credential is required to stay there. If you plan to use this hostel, you must therefore be walking one of the two routes and have the credential.

Festivals and Processions Throughout the Year

The Santa Águeda festival takes place on the weekend after 5 February and has been declared a festival of national tourist interest. According to tradition, the women of Zamarramala govern the town on this day. The festival also includes the traditional tajada de chorizo, a portion of chorizo cooked in wine.

Every year on 22 July, the Santa María Magdalena festival features a procession in honour of the saint. Around 13 June, Zamarramala also holds a procession for San Antonio, which includes an arch made of fruit and sweets. La Ofrenda has traditionally taken place on the first weekend of September. After the harvest, produce from the fields is presented. During Holy Week, the Santo Entierro procession travels from the Barrio de Zamarramala to the Iglesia de la Vera Cruz, accompanied by the Knights of the Order of Malta.

The festival dates range from the weekend after 5 February to the first weekend of September, with the procession around 13 June and the festival on 22 July in between. The Santo Entierro takes place during Holy Week. If you are travelling for a particular celebration, check its exact date before booking your hotel.

Churches, Archaeology and Views

The Iglesia de Santa María Magdalena preserves 15th-century murals depicting the Annunciation and the Adoration of the Magi. The church also houses a Lignum Crucis, a relic of the Cross of Christ. The building thus brings together both religious imagery and a sacred keepsake.

An archaeological site is located at the Barranco del arroyo de la Pellejera. Two rows of stones descend from an elevated platform towards the stream. Beside the path, a cross is engraved on a triangular base with sides measuring 40 centimetres. The arrangement of the stone rows and the details of the engraving are distinct features of the site.

Zamarramala offers unique views of Segovia. A plaque at the Ermita de San Roque commemorates Robert Gillon and quotes his praise of the view. Together with the churches and archaeological remains, this offers another focus for planning a trip, alongside the celebrations with fixed dates and the pilgrim routes.

Discover more destinations: Grajera, San Rafael, Urueñas, Aldeanueva De La Serrezuela, Casla, Carrascal Del Río, Lastras del Pozo, Segovia

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