Church of Santa María de los Ángeles and its viewpoint

What it is

The church of Santa María de los Ángeles crowns the promontory of the Puebla Vieja, the upper old town of San Vicente, which is declared a historic-artistic site. It was built between the 13th and 16th centuries in Cantabrian Gothic style, with an almost military sobriety on the outside: flying buttresses, stone walls and capitals carved with plant motifs. Together with the Castillo del Rey, on the slope down to the quay, it is the silhouette you see from the Maza bridge.

What to see inside

The best-known piece is the tomb of Inquisitor Antonio del Corro, from the 16th century, which the town council's website highlights for the quality of its sculpture. Inside there is also a carving of the saint and other examples of funerary sculpture. At sunset the light through the stained glass changes the interior; at dawn, from outside, you can see the mist over the estuary.

The town council's website does not publish visiting or Mass times. As this is the parish church, the safest thing is to ask at the parish, on 942 710 026 or at [email protected], or at the tourist office, on 942 710 797. Go in respectfully if a service is under way.

The Campo de Santa María viewpoint

From the churchyard, at the end of Calle Alta, you get what the town guide calls the best panorama of the town: the Pombo estuary, the harbour and, on a clear day, the Picos de Europa. The viewpoint is free. You can walk there along the estuary from the Barquera sanctuary and up the cobbled lanes of the Puebla Vieja.

Kilometre zero of the Camino Lebaniego

The Camino Lebaniego starts here, linking the coast with the monastery of Santo Toribio de Liébana, in Potes: 71.73 kilometres in three stages. If you plan to walk it, the church is the natural starting point; ask at the tourist office about the stages before setting off. And if you are not going to walk, at least look in at the door: one of Cantabria's pilgrimage routes begins here.

Getting there

The church is at Calle Alta, 12. From the harbour it is a few minutes' walk uphill, going in through the Puerta del Mar and following Calle Alta, the spine of the old citadel; the cobbles and the slope make a pushchair awkward. It is the natural end of the walk around the Old Town.

What to combine it with

Go down the alleys of El Acuerdo, El Carbonero, Las Huertas and Ronda towards the harbour, cross the Maza bridge and finish at the beaches or at the Rubín marsh, on the other side of the estuary. If you are heading to Liébana afterwards, the Camino ends at the monastery of Santo Toribio.