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In the province of Valladolid, 17 kilometers from its capital and in the heart of the Hontanija Valley, is Wamba. This town that has just over 300 inhabitants is the only one in Spain whose name begins with W.

According to the website of its town hall, the origin of this place name dates back to the year 672: "The noble Wamba is chosen as Gothic monarch in this place as successor of the previous one, Recesvinto, who died in these places".

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The church of Santa Maria

In addition to its curious name, the town of Wamba stands out for having one of the few Mozarabic-style churches that are preserved in Spain. It is the church of Santa María, whose head and transept correspond to a building of the tenth century. The construction was enlarged and modified later, so the body of it is Romanesque style.

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Inside you can see several altarpieces, such as one of Flemish style made in the sixteenth century with gold and silver. Next to the church of Santa María resist some walls of the cloister of a monastery that was attached to the building. At its center is the tomb where the Gothic king Recceswinth is believed to be buried.

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The ossuary of the Order of St. John

Behind one of the doors of the cloister that can be visited in this Valladolid town is the ossuary of the Order of San Juan, one of its most surprising tourist attractions. The municipality of Wamba points out that it is a place where about 1,000 human skulls are kept, as well as other types of bones, in a more or less stacked and orderly way.

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The remains were accumulated since the Middle Ages and over several centuries. On one of the walls you can read an epitaph that says: "As you see, I saw myself. As you see me, you will see. It all ends at this here. Think about it, and you won't sin."

  • HBPR
  • Valladolid

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