Miguel Ángel Fernández Ortiz

 Palencia is a town in the North of Spain.

 It is the capital of the province of Palencia, which
is part of Castilla y León.
 It occupies 94,71 km2 and it has a population of
79.137 inhabitants.
 Cristo del Otero (Christ of the Knoll):
◦ It is a large sculpture located on a knoll on the outskirts of
the city. It represents Jesus in a position to bless the city.
◦ The sculpture was designed by Victorio Macho, whose tomb
lays there.
◦ It was built in 1931
◦ It is more than 20 meters
high and it is made of
cement, but originally it
was going to have some
parts made of bronze and
gold and its arms were to
go sideways.
◦ Its eyes are empty and
there are stairs to go up
and go there, having an
incredible view of the city,
but nowadays it’s closed.
◦ Jesus’ feet have a
hermitage and a museum
about its architect.
◦ It is one of the highest
statues of Jesus Christ in
the world.
 Saint Antolín Cathedral
◦ It is a Gothic building.
◦ It is known as La Bella Desconocida.
◦ It is dedicated to Saint Antolín.
◦ The cathedral was built between 12th and 16th
century and it stands over a crypt from 7th century,
where there are some of Saint Antolín’s relics.
◦ It is a National Monument.
 Church of San Miguel
◦ It is a Romanic and Gothic
building.
◦ It is located near Carrion
river.
◦ Its tower is very singular
because it seems to be the
tower of a castle more than
a church’s one.
◦ A legend says that the
historic character Rodrigo
Díaz de Vivar, (El Cid) got
married in this church.
 Main Square
◦ The Main Square was
built in 12th century.
◦ Here we find the Town
Hall and a sculpture
dedicated to the artist
Alonso Berruguete,
which is in the middle
of the square.
◦ Originally, there were
several small gardens
in it, but the square
has suffered several
modifications and they
were removed.
 Green Spaces
◦ Palencia is one of the cities which have more green
space per inhabitant.
◦ There are big extensions of vegetation such as
Monte El Viejo, Rivera Sur park and Isla Dos Aguas
park.
◦ In the downtown, there are a lot of gardens and
parks to enjoy in.
 In Saint Antolín’s Day,
people drink water from
a water well which is in
the crypt of the
Cathedral. It is said to
be blessed by the saint.
 There are other
significant festivities,
such as Santo Toribio’s
pilgrimage, San Marcos,
the pig slaughter…
 In every festivity, it is usual to see some people
wearing the typical clothes from the city and,
sometimes, people sing and dance a song called, Ea,
which is original from this city.
 Some typical food from Palencia is:
◦ Roast lamb
◦ Garlic soups
◦ Blood sausage
◦ Menestra
 The first university of Spain was founded in Palencia.
 The women from Palencia had a very important role in the
history of the city because they defended and saved the
place when it was going to be conquered during a war.
 People from Palencia has its own expressions to talk about
different things:
◦ Rodea: cloth
◦ Chiguito: child
◦ Corito: naked
◦ Escolingarse: to fall down
◦ Arambol: banister