Chapel of Saint Olav, the Norwegian Church in the Valley

About 2 km from Covarrubias, in the so-called Valley of the Wolves, a chapel dedicated to Saint Olav, the royal saint and patron of Norway, has stood since 2011. It is a modern building of wood and metal whose shape recalls a drakkar, the Norse ship, and it is the end of a story that began almost eight centuries ago.

Princess Kristina's promise

Kristina, daughter of King Haakon IV of Norway, came to Castile to marry the infante Felipe, brother of Alfonso X the Wise. Felipe was abbot of the collegiate church of Covarrubias and obtained a papal dispensation to leave the post; the wedding was held in the collegiate church of Valladolid on 31 March 1258. After the wedding, Kristina asked her husband to build a hermitage to Saint Olav. The couple went to live in Seville, where the climate did not suit the princess, who died in 1262, childless. Felipe died in 1274 and the hermitage was never built.

Kristina is buried in the cloister of the collegiate church of San Cosme y San Damián in Covarrubias, chosen, according to the Diputación, because her widower had been abbot of that house. In 1992 the Kristina of Norway Foundation was created, and it called a competition to finally build the chapel. Today it is a multi-purpose building: religious services are held there and also cultural events.

Opening hours

It opens only at weekends. From June to October, Saturdays from 17:00 to 19:00 and Sundays from 11:30 to 13:30; from November to May, Saturdays from 16:00 to 18:00 and Sundays from 11:30 to 13:30. The Junta's 2026 resource sheet lists it as closed from December to February, and the town hall says it closes in January and February: if you plan to go in December, confirm beforehand. Entry is free. Groups can arrange a visit on 608 903 315 or at [email protected]. The visit is short, about twenty minutes.

Getting there and what to combine

The chapel is outside the village, in the valley: you reach it by car in a few minutes, and on foot it is about 2 km each way. The logical thing is to join it to the visit to the collegiate church, where Kristina's tomb is (the cloister and museum are visited with a €5 ticket, with explanations by QR codes), and a stroll round the old quarter, where the village dedicates a tribute sculpture to the princess. The Fernán González tower is a short walk from the square. Bear in mind that the collegiate church closes on Tuesdays and the chapel only opens on Saturday and Sunday, so the weekend is when everything fits.