Monuments straight out of a fairy tale

The Castle of Frías stands on the top of the Muela, dominating the village that extends on its southern slope. Its front facade rests on the houses. Its first references date back to the 13th century, although most of its present structure corresponds to the second half of the 15th century. Built mainly with tuff stone masonry, only in openings, turrets and corners was ashlar used. It has vaults, semicircular arches, embrasures and gun ports, with additions from the 16th century. The tower of the homage, pentagonal and located in the south angle, presents a double interior vault and a crenellated terrace.

The complex is made up of 22 five-story hanging houses, located at the top of the Cerro de la Muela, under a tuff cliff. Built between the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, at the time of expansion of the city thanks to the privileges of Alfonso VIII, these houses take advantage of the rocky cut, forming an extension of the wall that defended the city to the north. Its narrow houses, joined together, create steep medieval streets. The southern wall, dating from the 13th century, had three gates: Medina, Postigo and the now disappeared Cadena. The promenade connected the houses so that the soldiers could protect the city from the inside.

The Medieval Bridge, of Roman origin and rebuilt in the Middle Ages, was part of an important road that connected the Meseta with the Cantabrian coast. It consists of nine arches; the central ones, pointed, and the others slightly lowered to house the central tower, which fulfilled defensive and commercial functions. The pontazgo, a tax for crossing with people, livestock or merchandise, was collected there. The spillways, with moldings on the salmeres, alleviate the weight and provide harmony. Its irregular structure follows the rock of the river.

The Church of San Vicente Mártir, ordered to be built by Alfonso VIII after the granting of the charter of Frías, is in Romanesque style with a Latin cross plan and three naves. Its high crenellated tower, which reinforces the defensive character of the city, and its Romanesque portico, decorated with sculptures, stand out. After a collapse in 1906 that damaged the tower and the structure, the portico was sold and today is exhibited in the Cloisters Museum in New York. The interior houses three baroque and neoclassical altarpieces, and the chapel of the Visitation, with a wrought iron grille and a 16th century altarpiece by Juan de Borgoña. The church combines several styles, predominantly baroque.

The gorge was a crucial route, since the ancient Roman road that linked La Bureba with Orduña and the northern ports used to pass through it. Some stones of the road and the Roman-medieval bridge that crosses the river Molinar are still preserved. Next to the bridge, under imposing rocky walls, are two Christian temples: the Romanesque hermitage of Santa María de la Hoz, from the 13th century, which served as lodging for pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago. It is believed to be built over an earlier temple and preserves colorful frescoes inside.