ELCIEGO IN RIOJA ALAVESA

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Hermitage of the Virgin of the Square in Elciego in Rioja Alavesa

Surely you will approach Rioja Alavesa with the intention of doingwine tourism, but in your plantrip visiting wineries or staying in hotels with charm, you must also make room to enjoy the artistic heritage of its small towns.

In this regard, the Elciego visit it must be a stage in your trip to Rioja Alavesa.

But, what are you going to see in Elciego?

The first knowledge of the existence of The blind It goes back to a document of the year 1067 that is in San Millán de la Cogolla.

The truth is The blind initially it was a village that depended on the nearby population of The guard, and it was at the end of the 16th century, in 1583, when it was constituted as a village.

House of Irons in Elciego in Rioja Alavesa

Now when you walk around the little one historic center of Elciego, a town that barely has 1,000 inhabitants, you will see that it extends around the main square, with characteristics very common to those of other towns in the area.

What to see in Elciego

But above all you will find several palace houses that maintain the 17th century configuration.

Palace house in Elciego in Rioja Alavesa

To highlight the noble shields that you will see on its facades and also its ironwork, also common in the area.

Without doubt the best example of hardware you have it in the Navarrete Thief of Guevara palace, Baroque style, also known as the House of Irons.

Located in the northeast corner of the Plaza Mayor, its balconies are a sumptuous iron work exercise. The shield on the corner of the house is the one on the outside Bishop of Mondoñedo and Archbishop of Burgos.

Elciego City Council in Rioja Alavesa

The Elciego Main Square it is configured with the town hall building on its south side and the Hermitage of the Virgen de la Plaza, the patron saint of the town, on the north side. In the center, the typical temple.

On the facade of Elciego town hall, from the 18th century, you can see a shield of the House of the Austrias. The building has a arcaded gallery with six-bay arches.

The hermitage in the square is also from the 18th century. Baroque style, it is located in the space that once occupied a Gothic church. Inside, octagonal, there are three baroque altarpieces, the main one being dedicated to the patron.

As you leave the square on the southeast side, in the direction of the main church of the town, you find another stately home, the Ramírez de la Piscina Palace, actually two buildings of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, also with a corner shield and balconies with reería.

Abside of the church of San Andrés de Elciego in Rioja Alavesa

From there you will arrive at the main monument of Elciego.

Actually I am referring to the main ancient monument, because it must be recognized that Elciego has two great monuments, the church of San Andrés and the Hotel de las Bodegas Marqués de Riscal.

Cited church of San Andrés de Elciego, from the 16th century, a building that shows a mixture of architectural styles, has its main attraction inside, where you will be surprised by the sumptuous Renaissance apse decoration, where a great baroque altarpiece from the 16th century is located.

Not far from this church you can see the modern and majestic building designed for theMarqués de Riscal wineries by the Canadian architect Frank Gehry, where materials such as stone, glass and metallic elements are combined, which will remind you of Bilbao Gugenheim Museum.

Hotel Marqués de Riscal designed by Fran Gehry in Elciego

He hotel Marqués de Riscal It is a luxury establishment, very exclusive to which, even if you go to visit the wineries, you can only access if you are a customer.

But there is no doubt that this hotel has helped Elciego be better known in the rest of Spain.