Santa Maria de Arbas del Puerto
Camino de San Salvador
After the mountain crossing, the sight of Arbas is a relief. The Colegiata de Santa María de Arbas is the reason to pause here — a Romanesque collegiate church with genuine atmosphere. Unlike many churches that feel like museums, this one still has real candles for lighting, and the interior rewards a quiet visit. The church requires a short walk off the camino, but it's right there when you reach the highway.
The trail from Arbas to the Puerto de Pajares has never been great, and in recent years has gotten worse. Nowadays it's best to skip the trail and cover the 1.3 km to the mountain pass by road instead. This has the added benefit of bringing you to the bar at the pass, which you'll probably want.
The Colegiata de Santa María de Arbas was founded in the 12th century as a hospice and church for pilgrims and travelers crossing the Puerto de Pajares. The Augustinian canons who ran it provided shelter, food, and spiritual care to anyone making the dangerous mountain crossing — regardless of whether they were pilgrims, merchants, or soldiers. The church's Romanesque architecture is well preserved, with fine carved capitals and a serene cloister. It's one of the most important medieval pilgrim hospices on the León-Asturias corridor and was directly linked to the Camino del Salvador pilgrimage tradition.
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