# Romanesque Sunday in Aguilar de Campoo: Santa María la Real, Olleros, Mave and roast lamb

The cloister and the ROM models, the square and collegiate church of Aguilar, the rock-cut church of Olleros, Santa María de Mave and lunch at El Convento de Mave, right beside it.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/castile-and-leon/aguilar-de-campoo/itineraries/santa-maria-la-real-and-roast-lamb · Revisado: 2026-11-12

## El día
- 09:00 · Salida: 1 h by car (from Palencia via the A-67 towards Santander; from Burgos, via the N-627)
- 10:15 · Santa María la Real Monastery and the ROM Museum (Cloister and ROM museum · self-guided visit €4.50, guided €7.50)
  - 3 min by car, 1,2 km
- 11:30 · Plaza de España, the Collegiate Church of San Miguel and the Castle (Plaza de España, collegiate church of San Miguel and Santa Cecilia · €2 each · climb to the castle)
  - 9 min by car, 7,6 km
- 12:45 · Rock-Cut Hermitage of Santos Justo y Pastor, in Olleros de Pisuerga (Church excavated in the rock · €2 · open until 14:00)
  - 4 min by car, 3 km
- 13:20 · Romanesque Church of Santa María de Mave (Romanesque church beside the Pisuerga · €2 · until 14:00)
  - 2 min on foot
- 14:00 · El Convento de Mave restaurant (El Convento de Mave · lechazo to order, ask for it the day before · closed on Sunday evenings) · El Convento de Mave restaurant, €€€
- 16:15 · Vuelta (Via Aguilar and the A-67; in Palencia or Santander around 17:30)

A Sunday to understand the Romanesque of northern Palencia without getting lost on the roads: the monastery that explains the whole area, the town of Aguilar with its square and castle, a church cut into a crag and another beside the Pisuerga, and lunch in the former convent of Mave, next to that last church. Aguilar is a little over an hour from Palencia, Burgos and Santander, and the whole day fits within 20 km.

## The day, hour by hour

9:00 · Set off. From Palencia, on the A-67 towards Santander. From Burgos, on the N-627. From Santander, on the A-67 southwards.

10:15 · Santa María la Real. On the way out of Aguilar towards Cervera, with its own car park. The Romanesque cloister and the ROM, with models of the churches of the area, are the best introduction to what you will see next. The self-guided visit costs €4.50; the guided one, of 50 minutes, €7.50.

11:30 · The square and the castle. Go down to the centre and park beside the Paseo de la Cascajera. The collegiate church of San Miguel opens on Sundays from 11:00 to 14:00 and so does Santa Cecilia, the Romanesque church on the hillside. Each costs €2. If you have time to spare, climb up to the castle through the streets of the old quarter.

12:45 · Olleros de Pisuerga. 6 km to the south, the hermitage of Santos Justo y Pastor is carved into the crag, with the bell gable above the rock. It opens from 11:00 to 14:00; €2.

13:20 · Santa María de Mave. A few kilometres further down, the church of the former Mave monastery, beside the Pisuerga. Same hours and same price. Park at the convent door.

14:00 · Lunch at El Convento de Mave. The hotel restaurant occupies the monastery's outbuildings. If you want roast lamb, order it the day before on 979 123 611: a quarter, for two, costs €67. Without an order, Pisuerga trout, stewed lamb or Castilian soup. On Sundays it serves lunch from 13:30 to 15:30.

16:15 · Head home. You return by Aguilar and the A-67. If there is still light and you are in the mood, Aguilar castle can also be seen from outside at that hour.

## With children

The church inside the rock and the ROM models are usually a hit. The castle is a short climb. If they are small, swap the morning for the bison of San Cebrián de Mudá, which open at weekends from 10:00 to 12:30, and still eat at Mave.

## With dogs

In the street and outside the churches, on a lead. Dogs are not allowed in the churches or the museum.

## Cómo llegar

### By car
Palencia to Aguilar, a little over an hour on the A-67; Burgos to Aguilar, about 75 minutes; Santander to Aguilar, about 77. Between stops, never more than a quarter of an hour: Aguilar to Olleros, 6 km; Olleros to Mave, about 3.

## Consejos

### Order the lamb
At El Convento it is roasted to order, a day ahead or at least three hours before.

### The churches, before 14:00
On Sundays Olleros, Mave, the collegiate church and Santa Cecilia do not open in the afternoon.

### Check the month
El Convento closes from 1 November to 20 March; in those weeks, eat at the Posada de Santa María la Real.

## Un consejo más

### If it rains
Santa María la Real, the ROM and the churches are indoors. Swap the castle for the KARST centre, which opens on Sunday mornings.

## Cuándo no ir

Monday and Tuesday: Olleros, Mave and Santa Cecilia are closed, and El Convento closes all day on Monday.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How long does it take from Palencia?
A little over an hour to Aguilar on the A-67. From Burgos or Santander, about 75 minutes.

### Which churches open on Sunday?
Olleros, Mave, the collegiate church of San Miguel and Santa Cecilia, from 11:00 to 14:00. Santa María la Real opens morning and afternoon.

### Do you need to book lunch?
It is wise, and the lamb has to be ordered ahead.

### How much does the day cost?
Between €45 and €75 per person: about €12 in tickets and lunch.

### Can you do it in winter?
Yes, but El Convento closes from November to March, and from 9 December to late January or February Olleros and Mave are closed and can only be visited by appointment on 616 520 509.