The Church of Santiago Apóstol in Valcabado del Páramo: A Little Village Near León Saves its “Mudéjar Heaven”

Abstract

The inhabitants of the village of Valcabado del Páramo in León province have for years been rallying round to save from ruin the sixteenth-century roof and ceiling of the Church of Santiago, one of the most notable of its kind along the Vía de la Plata—the “Silver Way” trade and pilgrim route in western Spain. This has involved organizing countless activities and collecting the necessary monies for a restoration with a crowdfunding campaign, which has allowed the project to go ahead. Moreover, in collaboration with pupils and instructors from the structural carpentry courses at the León Trades Center, they have had two new roof structures built—over the chancel and porch—using the traditional techniques of Mudéjar carpentry, as the original structures had disappeared over the years. They have also founded a Mudéjar Carpentry Association for the Vía de la Plata and its area of influence, including 13 locations in the provinces of León and Zamora with Mudéjar ceilings, and set up a Visitor Center from which they arrange guided tours along the route of Mudéjar ceilings.