Faded charm in stone

Where donkey and mule share a meadow in northern Spain.

The villages of the municipality of Villamejil are located in a marshy area crossed by numerous short streams on the Río Tuerto at an altitude of around 915 metres in the Leonese plateau. The typical architecture of the churches can be found everywhere here.

The late medieval parish church of San Benito is dedicated to St Benedict of Nursia (died 547); however, only the lower part of the west façade, which is divided in two by the stone material used, is still original. The bell gable was renewed or added later. The portal on the south side is protected by a porch. Only the tabernacle of the currently restored baroque altar reredos remains in the chancel of the church.

Climbing the very narrow staircase up to the tower platform required a great deal of attention; not every step was completely trustworthy. A side entrance led to the bell tower of the parish church in Villamejil.

Even a stork was not deterred from positioning its nest in the limited space at the bell tower. Even the hourly bells did not seem to impress him.