Arco de San Miguel de Mazarreros, Medieval church portal in Sasamón, Spain
The arco de San Miguel de Mazarreros is a medieval church portal that now stands alone in wheat fields northwest of Sasamón. The stone structure sits near the Brullés River and is all that remains of the former religious site.
The arch was built in the 12th century and remains from when San Miguel de Mazarreros was an inhabited village. The settlement was later abandoned because of plague epidemics, leading to the church's decay.
The arch displays the Romanesque building style common to medieval religious structures in this region. You can observe the simple stonework techniques that builders used during that period.
The portal is about one kilometer from Sasamón's public pools and can be reached by following farm paths toward Sotresgudo. The surrounding wheat fields are easy to walk across, though sturdy shoes are helpful, especially if the ground is wet.
Three simple stone crosses stand beside the arch, marking the spiritual importance of this isolated site. Local stories speak of an underground passage that may have once connected it to the nearby Santa María la Real church.
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