Betanzos was transferred to its present hilltop site by Afonso IX in 1219. It developed as a walled town and residence of powerful noble families, earning the name Betanzos dos Cabaleiros ("Betanzos of the Knights"). Until 1833, it was the capital of one of the seven provinces of the Kingdom of Galicia, alongside Tui and Santiago de Compostela. The Camino still enters the old town through the Porta da Ponte Vella, one of three surviving medieval gates.
Betanzos is also known for its tortilla de Betanzos, made without onion and characteristically served soft and runny inside.
Qué ver en Betanzos
Igrexa de San Francisco
Fernán Pérez de Andrade "O Boo" ("the Good") built this 14th-century Gothic church as a burial place for himself and his family. His tomb rests on the backs of a bear and wild boar, with hunting scenes carved along its sides; other medieval knights are buried around the church.
Igrexa de Santa Maria do Azougue
Built between the late 14th and early 15th centuries, Santa María preserves a carved medieval agricultural calendar showing seasonal rural tasks month by month. The name Azougue comes from Arabic as-sūq ("the market"), referring to the marketplace that once occupied the square beside the church.
Igrexa de Santiago
Built in the 15th century by Fernán Pérez de Andrade "O Mozo" ("the Young") over an earlier Romanesque church, the Igrexa de Santiago was substantially altered in 1899-1901. The original Gothic portal survived the reconstruction, including its carved tympanum of Santiago.
Dónde alojarse en Betanzos
Albergue de peregrinos Casa da Pescadería
Albergue Río Mandeo
Albergue Santa María del Azogue
