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Briones

La Rioja

Audioguide of Briones

What to see in Briones

It is said that Briones owes its name to the Berones, they were settled in this area when the Romans arrived with their colourful banners and their sharp swords. But there are little remains from those ancient times, and if Briones is a monumental town, it is due, especially, to the Renaissance and Baroque buildings of which it can boast.

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It is said that Briones owes its name to the Berones, they were settled in this area when the Romans arrived with their colourful banners and their sharp swords. But there are little remains from those ancient times, and if Briones is a monumental town, it is due, especially, to the Renaissance and Baroque buildings of which it can boast.

Mind you, the village also has its medieval past. It used to be surrounded by walls and dominated by a fortress of which there are still some vestiges in the highest part of the town. It was Fernando III who destroyed it, in the thirteenth century, during some warlike mischief typical of that period which Briones remembers, every summer, in its “Medieval Days” festival.

In other words, the village has no fortress anymore, but what it does have it’s the splendid Church of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción. It is from the sixteenth century, although the tower you see today was built at a later date, in the eighteenth century. Inside the temple, there are a few chapels linked to illustrious names of Briones, as is the case of the Hircio family.

Perhaps this surname doesn’t sound familiar, but you have probably heard of Hernán Cortés, right? Well, the brothers Pedro and Martín de Hircio were at his command during the conquest of Mexico, and the first one was even appointed the governor.

The Plaza de España is another place you must see, with its Noble palaces and mansion that is around five centuries old. Do not miss either the Palacio del Marqués de San Nicolás, nowadays the Town Hall, or the many beautiful hermitages scattered around the place. All this forms a place of great beauty with the flavour of past noblemen from La Rioja, and which was, a few years ago, the setting for a television series entitled Gran Reserva. This is what happens to villages so photogenic.

If you also like wine and all that surrounds it, don’t miss the Vivanco Museum of Wine Culture, a true reference in the subject. And if you are interested in curious traditions, look for what they call the Cercas de las Cuarenta (Fences of the Forty). It is a place from which, apparently, forty sanctuaries could be seen, between churches and hermitages. And all who prayed in this place were granted with forty days of indulgence. One for every church in sight!


Briones

Calle San Juan, 19 (Oficina de Turismo)
26330 Briones
(+34) 608 03 68 56

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