El Club · Maderuelo

The Ermita de la Vera Cruz is a Romanesque church-eremitorium located outside the walls of Maderuelo, in the province of Segovia, Castilla y León, in the surroundings of the historic village next to the river Riaza. It is a small temple of worship, closely linked to the religious and artistic heritage of the municipality, and protected as an Asset of Cultural Interest since 1924. Its construction dates back to the end of the 11th century or, more probably, to the beginning of the 12th century. It presents a very sober Romanesque architectural language, with a single nave, presbytery or rectangular chapel and semicircular triumphal arch. It is built with ashlar masonry in the most noble parts and calicanto masonry in the rest, a common solution in rural buildings of this period. The interior is notable for preserving an important set of 12th century Romanesque mural paintings, considered among the most remarkable in Spain. These paintings were transferred to the Prado Museum in 1947 to protect them from the flooding associated with the Linares reservoir, and a replica was later installed in the chapel to maintain the heritage interpretation of the space. The hermitage also preserves other Romanesque features of interest, such as the compositional simplicity of the volume, the barrel vault roof in the presbytery and the traditional masonry elements that reinforce its value as an exceptional testimony of the Romanesque style of Segovia in the rural area.

The Church of San Miguel de Maderuelo is a religious building in the Romanesque style, identified in local tourist literature as both a church and a chapel, located in the historic center of Maderuelo, Segovia, within the town’s medieval heritage complex. The location provided corresponds to the walled area of this town, one of the province’s best-known historic sites. Its origins date back to the 12th century, within the context of rural Castilian Romanesque architecture. The original structure follows a simple design, featuring a single nave and a semicircular apse, and is linked to the medieval town’s former western defensive system. Later, in the 15th century, the building was expanded with a second rectangular nave and a small bell gable, reflecting a late medieval architectural evolution. Inside, burials are documented in Gothic arches, including the Hermosa family tombstone, a significant testament to the church’s funerary use and the continuity of local memory. Also noted is the conversion of the old bell tower—originally part of the early Romanesque chapel—into a dwelling, a unique feature reflecting the building’s adaptation over time. Today, it is a heritage site no longer used for worship, integrated into the tour of Maderuelo’s monuments alongside the town’s other historical landmarks. Its value lies in the combination of rural Romanesque architecture, Gothic additions, and later transformations, which allow one to trace the architectural and social history of this medieval Segovian settlement.

The Church of Santa María del Castillo is a religious temple located in the upper part of Maderuelo, in Segovia, integrated in the medieval walled town and linked by its location to the ancient defensive function of the complex. Its name and position above the hamlet reinforce its strategic character within the historic center of the town. It is a church of medieval origin, with a first factory related to the 13th century and successive later transformations. The consulted informative sources indicate a construction on a Romanesque building and reforms in the XV and XVI centuries, with later reconstructions; for that reason it presents a mixture of Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Mudejar elements, in addition to caliphal remains mentioned by the local patrimonial tradition. Among its most outstanding patrimonial elements are the plateresque main altarpiece, attributed to Gabriel de Sosa and Alberto Castellanos in 1556, the representation of the Sagra de la Santa Cena, a pulpit and a baptismal font of Romanesque tradition. Also mentioned is the presence of a child mummy found in the 19th century, preserved as a singular piece of the temple. In the historical context of Maderuelo, declared a historical site, the church is part of the main monumental tour of the town and is visited along with other heritage resources of the old town. Its exact location corresponds to the Plaza de Santa María, with views of the Linares del Arroyo reservoir and the surroundings of the medieval bridge.

The Hoces del Riaza Lookout is a natural observation point located in the Hoces del Río Riaza Natural Park, in the northeastern part of the province of Segovia, between Maderuelo and Montejo de la Vega de la Serrezuela. Physically, it sits atop the imposing orange-colored limestone walls that form a canyon up to 150 meters deep, carved by the Riaza River through materials folded by historical geological processes. From this viewpoint, visitors can admire the spectacular steppe-like valley, where large juniper groves (white juniper) and holm oak forests abound, creating a striking contrast between the canyon and the riverine plain. The site’s main significance lies in its ornithological value, as it offers the opportunity to observe one of Europe’s largest colonies of griffon vultures, with around 150 pairs inhabiting the cliffs and overhangs of the canyon. In addition to vultures, it is possible to spot Egyptian vultures, eagle owls, and common kestrels, making it an ideal spot for birdwatching with more than 20 recorded bird species. The viewpoint is located next to the Cantera parking lot, near the headwaters of the Linares del Arroyo Reservoir, and connects to the PR-SG-6 linear trail. The Natural Park has been designated for its great natural, scenic, and wildlife value, covering an area of 6,470 hectares. The best time to visit the observation deck is from July to September, when vulture activity is at its peak and weather conditions are favorable; it is best to avoid the period from January to June, as a special permit is required to use certain trails in the park during that time.

The Linares del Arroyo Dam, in Maderuelo (Segovia), is a large reservoir of the Riaza and Aguisejo river system, in the region of Ayllon, at the foot of the Sierra de Ayllon. The available information places it with a surface area of around 550 hectares and a useful volume of around 56 hm³, although other sources cite 473 hectares and 58 hm³, so these figures should be taken as a guide. It is a landscape of extensive water and smooth banks, very different from the limestone gorges that appear downstream. From Maderuelo there are wide views of the reservoir basin and its slopes, with a quiet and open environment that is interesting both for its scenic value and for the contrast between the medieval village and the sheet of water. The PRC-SG-10 route runs through this sector with a short circular itinerary of low difficulty, designed for walking and observation of the surroundings. Its heritage and landscape interest is linked to the history of the old Linares del Arroyo, a town flooded by the construction of the dam in the mid-twentieth century. Some sources indicate that the reservoir was inaugurated in 1951 and that it was used for hydroelectric and irrigation purposes. This memory of the lost settlement, together with the aquatic landscape, explains much of the uniqueness of the place. In addition, the reservoir is associated with the natural area of the Riaza River Sickles, where fauna linked to wetlands and birds such as otters, grey herons and various ducks can be found. For this reason, the visit is of particular interest to those who are looking for a place of transition between reservoir, riverbank and countryside, with environmental value and a clear historical reading.