07/09/2009
Vitoria-Gasteiz,
September 7, 2009 – For the third year in a row,
Fundación Catedral Santa María and Club de Montaña Goiena are
organising walking tours along the Camino
de la Piedra, an itinerary that links Ajarte and the
capital of Alava. The route’s most interesting facet is the fact that
the quarries in this village in Condado de Treviño yielded most of the
stones used to build Vitoria’s Cathedral. This year, the walking tours
will take place on September 19 and 26 and October 3.
Santa María Cathedral cannot nor should not be understood as an
isolated work in its surroundings. The Cathedral combines stones from
villages and locations such as Ajarte, Elguea and Olarizu, where the
remains of the quarries can still be seen. Settlements were created to
excavate these stones and roads built to transport them. Ajarte’s case
includes a practically uninhabited hamlet in the municipality of
Condado de Treviño. In addition to breathtaking vistas of the nearby
Vitoria Mountains, its quarries were the source of many stones used in
Álava’s churches as well as Vitoria’s Cathedral.
Therefore, two years ago, Fundación Catedral Santa María launched an
itinerary between the two locations to link the Cathedral’s historic
and artistic interest with scenic elements in the vicinity, the area’s
geography and above all, the historic roads traditionally used to
transport stone to the hill of Vitoria.
This year, the walking tours will take place on the following
Saturdays: September 19
and 26 and October 3. On each of these days, a bus will
transport participants to Ajarte, where they will set out on a
14-kilometre route that will include explanations of the different
places they pass through, in addition to the enjoyable scenery.
The route will begin in Ajarte, where participants will be introduced
to the ancient quarries’ special features as a mining resource for
monumental restoration. The stretch that passes through Collado de
Ajarte and the Vitoria Mountains affords a view of the architectural
and historical heritage of the pits in the ancient quarries, featuring
their unquestionable natural value owing to shady beech trees in the
north and turkey, gall and Holm oak groves in the south.
The next sites along the route are the prehistoric settlement of
Kutzemendi in the vicinity of Olarizu, one of the oldest witnesses to
the presence of human beings in Álava, and Casa de la Dehesa, the site
with the best connections to the entire province thanks to trails that
cattle used to range on, now a magnificent recreational area.
In Mendiola, close to the end of the route, tour participants will get
to know the Church of the Assumption of Our Lady, an interesting
building erected in the late Renaissance style during the sixteenth and
seventeenth centuries, which features a Latin cross lay-out and
outstanding tribeated entrance. The tour concludes at Santa María
Cathedral in Vitoria and the city wall. Furthermore, those who complete
the entire walking tours on September 19 and October 3 can visit
Vitoria’s Cathedral free of charge.
Those interested in taking part in the tour must reserve a place at the
Cathedral’s Visitor Reception Centre or by calling 945 255 135. Tickets
cost €5 per person, except for members of the Cathedral’s Founders
Circle, for whom they are free. There will be 45 places available on
each tour.
Furthermore, coinciding with the Medieval Market taking place in the
Historic Quarter over the weekend, Saturday, September 26 will also
feature an exhibition of the way stone was originally brought from
Ajarte. A cart drawn by two oxen dragging several stone blocks will set
off at 12 noon and travel the distance between Mendiola and Plaza del
Machete. An appealing attraction for the thousands of people who will
be visiting the medieval market that day.