Ruins of the Monastery of San Pedro de Arlanza

About 6 km from Covarrubias along the BU-905, towards Hortigüela, stand the tower, apses and walls of one of the oldest monasteries in Castile, in a meander of the Arlanza surrounded by junipers. It is a set of open-air ruins, with no roof or museum, linked since its origin to the first counts of Castile and to the legend of Fernán González, the count who made the county independent.

What it was and what remains

According to the Burgos Provincial Tourism Board, the monastery was founded in the year 912 by Gonzalo Fernández, father of Fernán González. Of what is seen today, the church was begun in 1080 and the tower is from the 12th century; there are also remains of the cloister and other monastic buildings. After the 19th-century confiscations (desamortización) it was abandoned, and since then it has suffered continuous looting that has removed a good part of its best pieces.

Count Fernán González and his wife, Sancha, were buried here until 1841, when their remains were moved to the collegiate church of Covarrubias, where they remain. That is why it makes sense to see both places on the same day.

Hours and visit

Entry is free and there is no guided visit service: you walk round on your own. The Junta's 2026 resource sheet gives these hours:

• 1 October to 30 April: from 10:15 to 16:45.
• 1 July to 30 September: from 10:30 to 14:30 and from 16:00 to 18:30.

It closes on Mondays and Tuesdays, the second weekend of each month and on 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 and 6 January. The sheet gives no hours for May and June, and warns that the visit may be suspended because of improvement works on the site. Always call beforehand on 689 596 064, especially if you are going in those months. Allow about 45 minutes.

The ruins are outdoors: wear comfortable shoes, something warm in winter and sun protection in summer. The Board recommends the Arlanza's outdoor visits from May to October.

Getting there

From Covarrubias you take the road towards Hortigüela; halfway, the ruins can already be seen from the road, down by the river. From Burgos you reach it by the N-234 as far as Hortigüela and there take the turn-off towards Covarrubias.

What to combine it with

The Board's classic Arlanza route links this monastery with the Visigothic hermitage of Quintanilla de las Viñas, which closes on the same days, and with Covarrubias, where the count's tomb is in the collegiate church and the Fernán González tower. From Hortigüela the guided walk through the juniper woods by Pedrete Guiados also starts.