From the village of Potes, in the heart of the Líebana region, you can enjoy a mountainous and idyllic landscape. But just a few centuries ago, that area also served as a setting for bloody battles between noble families: in particular, the Manrique’s and the Mendoza’s, whose fights are part of the medieval memory of Potes and the entire territory of Liébana.
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From the village of Potes, in the heart of the Líebana region, you can enjoy a mountainous and idyllic landscape. But just a few centuries ago, that area also served as a setting for bloody battles between noble families: in particular, the Manrique’s and the Mendoza’s, whose fights are part of the medieval memory of Potes and the entire territory of Liébana.
In those times, villages and lands passed from Counts to Kings and from bishops to marquises in a casual way. And it was precisely the Marquis of Santillana, Iñigo López de Mendoza, who ended up consolidating himself as the strong man of Potes. Iñigo was a guy capable of splitting an enemy in two with his right hand and be writing poetry with his left hand at the same time, so he earned not just military prestige. His commands and combats are today less remembered than his intellectual stature and his knowledge, which he acquired by reading and surrounding himself with scholars and humanists.
For a long time, the Marquis’ family would occupy the Infantado Tower, a striking and spectacular fortification that has become the most symbolic building in this locality. It has an interior courtyard that brings light to its rooms, a rare element that, it seems, was introduced in the sixteenth century following the Italian fashion.
The Infantado Tower is the most known of the Potes towers and the centre of its bellicose history, but there are, at least, another two monuments that you must visit without excuse: the Old Church of San Vicente and the Orejón de la Lama Tower, which is very close to the beautiful San Cayetano Bridge. There are more towers, of course, and more enchanting corners in the village, but we let you discover them by yourself.
The old historic part of Potes burned down, like many other things, in the bloody Civil War. It was later rebuilt and restored, and today retains much of its original beauty. But no matter how beautiful Potes is, which it is, and no matter how worthwhile it is to see it all, it is also true that in the surrounding area there are too many wonders not to miss.
A stone’s throw away is not only the majestic Cantabrian Mountains. Also waiting for you are the Santo Toribio Monastery, the pre-Romanesque Church of Santa María de Lebeña and the Santa María de Piasca Church. All authentic treasures. Are you going to miss them?
