Castillo de Argüeso - Visita guiada - Cantabria en 4K

Perched atop a hill, guarding the coastal route to Castile through the Saja Valley, stood the Castle of San Vicente de Argüeso, within the municipality of Hermandad de Campoo de Suso, in southern Cantabria. This defensive fortress, owned by the House of Vega-Mendoza until the 19th century, was declared a Site of Cultural Interest in 1983, and only parts of its towers and some of its walls remained standing. Five years later, its restoration began under the auspices of the Government of Cantabria and the town council of Hermandad de Campoo de Suso, lasting 11 years with several active phases, and finally opening to the public in 1999. The castle is owned by the town council of Hermandad de Campoo de Suso and is among the 80 best castles of the Spanish Castles and Palaces Club. The Sobaler family and their team of local artisans carried out extensive craftsmanship, undertaking the entire construction and reconstruction of the castle entirely by hand, using replicas of period tools. Now the castle stands as a grand stately residence, with spacious halls between turreted bastions, in the style of the tower houses of the Cantabrian feudal lords of the 14th century. The towers have four stories, and the central section has three. On the hill there was previously a 9th-century hermitage dedicated to Saint Vincent the Martyr, whose remains are visible at the base of the Keep. In the courtyard, there is an early medieval necropolis from the 9th or 10th centuries, associated with the hermitage, containing about 10 tombs located through archaeological surveys. The one unearthed in 1988, according to Carbon-14 dating, is that of a young man who lived around the year 850. In the 13th century, construction began on the south tower of the castle, built over the hermitage, which later became the Keep. In the 14th century, the north tower was built, designed with a more defensive purpose and oriented in a different direction from the other. Both defensive towers have high gates, accessed by a ladder that was lowered from the top, windows with trefoil arches, and ashlar masonry in the openings and corners. The defensive wall and the central structure connecting the towers date from the 15th century, featuring pointed arches, ogee windows, and machicolations to defend the castle gates. The castle was the emblem and stronghold of the House of La Vega-Mendoza. The first document mentioning the castle dates from 1400 and is an order from Queen Catherine of Lancaster, then guardian of John II of Castile, instructing the warden of Argüeso Castle and Fortress to hand it over to Doña Leonor de la Vega, nicknamed "the Lioness of Castile." She resided in the castle temporarily, defending it with inheritance disputes against the Manrique de Lara family. Her son, Íñigo López de Mendoza, a nobleman and writer, author of the "Serranillas," was a member of the high Castilian nobility and heir to the La Vega lineage in Asturias de Santillana and the Mendoza lineage in Castile. In 1455, after his death, his eldest son, Diego Hurtado de Mendoza, held the titles of 1st Duke of the Infantado, 2nd Marquis of Santillana, and 1st Marquis of Argüeso, inheriting the lands of Argüeso and Santillana. In 1475, the Catholic Monarchs granted the castle the seat of the Marquisate of Argüeso. The last Mendoza dynastic owner, Mariano Téllez Girón, 15th Duke of the Infantado and 15th Marquis of Argüeso, sold the castle to private individuals in 1869, beginning its decline and eventual ruin. In 1962, Teresa Rábago García, its last owner, ceded it to the town council of Hermandad de Campoo de Suso on the condition that it be restored. The visit begins through the adjoining building, constructed later. After an introduction to its history and the restoration process, we tour the ground floor. We arrived at the main nave, and the oldest part of the castle is located in the lower levels of the keep, where the walls of the Hermitage of San Vicente can be seen, along with a gargoyle on the ground, a mill wheel in the background, and the only piece of wood that was part of the original structure and was found under the rubble, along with animal bones. On the first floor of the central nave, there is a large hall used for events, exhibitions, or weddings. Doors on the sides lead to balconies. Climbing to the north tower via a huge cantilevered wooden staircase, there is a large wooden lamp in the center of the room. From this floor, you can access the roof terrace of the central nave with impressive panoramic views. Then we descended to explore the keep, where there is a recreation of a castle room. None of the towers have access to the upper battlements. Since 1999, the castle has functioned as a tourist and cultural center, hosting exhibitions and recreational and cultural events such as historical reenactments, concerts, conferences, civil weddings, medieval courses or workshops.