Covarrubias, Spain: Is This Medieval Village Worth the Detour?

Covarrubias is a medieval village in the province of Burgos, in northern Castile, about 40 minutes by car south of the city of Burgos. Yes, it is worth the detour: half-timbered houses lean over its cobbled lanes, a 10th-century tower guards the Arlanza River, and its collegiate church holds the tomb of Princess Kristina of Norway, who died in Seville in 1262 and was brought here to rest.

It fits neatly into a drive between Burgos and the vineyards of Ribera del Duero, and few American travelers have heard of it, which is part of its charm.

Why is a Norwegian princess buried in Covarrubias?

In 1257, Princess Kristina, daughter of King Håkon IV of Norway, traveled south with a retinue of more than 100 people to marry Prince Philip of Castile, brother of King Alfonso X “the Wise”. Philip had been abbot of the church in Covarrubias. The couple married in 1258 and lived in Seville, where Kristina died four years later, aged about 28. Her body was carried back to Covarrubias and laid in a stone sarcophagus in the cloister. In the early 1950s, during restoration work, the tomb was opened and found to hold the remains of a tall young woman, confirming the old records.

Tradition says Kristina asked Philip for a chapel to Saint Olav, Norway’s patron saint. The promise waited 749 years. The San Olav Chapel, shaped like a Viking longship in wood and steel, opened in 2011 a few kilometers outside the village.

What should you see in Covarrubias?

• The Collegiate Church of San Cosme y San Damián, with its cloister, altarpieces and Kristina’s tomb
• The Torreón de Fernán González, a 10th-century tower named for one of Castile’s first counts
• The Casa de Doña Sancha, a half-timbered house typical of the village
• The bronze statue of Princess Kristina by Norwegian artist Brit Sørensen, a gift from the town of Tønsberg in 1978
• The San Olav Chapel, a short drive into the valley

How long do you need, and what can you pair it with?

Allow two to three hours for the village and the church. Covarrubias, the monastery of Santo Domingo de Silos, with its Romanesque cloister and Gregorian chant, and the ruins of San Pedro de Arlanza form a triangle often called the cradle of Castile. A full day from Burgos covers all three, with lunch in between.

What should you eat there?

This is lechazo country: milk-fed lamb roasted in a wood oven, served at the village asadores with a red from the Arlanza wine region. Churches and small museums close at midday, so your guide plans the visits around lunch.

Planning northern Spain? Tell your planner what you love, and we fit villages like this one between the cities and the wineries of Rioja and beyond.