Hi: I have never been to Spain and I may go to Madrid before the end of the year. I love Spain and since I am not young anymore, I am interested in churches and religion. Can anyone tell me how far from Madrid is Limpias? I would like to go to visit El Cristo de la Agonia that is at the Iglesia de San Pedro in the Villa de Limpias. I hope someone out here can help me. I thank you very much in advance for your help. Gracias mil!

It's about 250 miles, almost due north.
If you can speak Spanish, check out this page with the history of the church ... http://corazones.org/lugares/Espana/Limpias/a_limpias_cristo.htm

Mark.

hola marilu,

check out "las virtudes" in the province of ciudad real... it is a very small convent tucked away in the hills of la mancha that has one of spain's few square bullrings. the convent itself was built somewhere in the 1300's and was occupied by the moors off and on until they were driven far enough south... when you step inside the convent it is cold and clammy and very quiet, and yet it is comforting too... i think you might like it..

some landmarks at least sort of near las virtudes; Manzanares, Valdepeñas, Almagro (where the oldest "shakespearean" theatre in spain is - circa 1400's), and the mountain "nodule" "la cabezuela," which is the highest point in la mancha (near villanueva de los infantes).

also, this area of la mancha saw a lot of battles between the moors and the christians back in the day, so there are ruins of many outposts strewn throughout the province (and down into Jaen). for instance, near villanueva de los infantes there is an old mini-castle that the moors built but that they fought over with the christians for 100 or more years... kinda neat...

i think you will like the religeous aspects of spain (architecturally and spiritually)!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for the replies you have given me ... I love Spain so much ... I am so grateful to Spain for bringing Christianity to America. Viva Espana!

When I read the title of this thread I thought it was about shoeshine guys. Limpiabotas. Never knew there was a place called limpias.
Cantabene

The closest city to Limpias is Laredo, which you can reach by ALSA bus from Bilbao or Santander. I don't know about local bus service. It's quite a busy area, so there may be such a thing. As a last resort you may have to taxi to Limpias from Laredo. I don't know the exact distance but it doesn't look to be very far on the map.

You might also be interested in the Monastery of Santo Toribio, near Potes (also in Cantabria), where the largest relic of the Cross of Christ is kept. It's an An~o Santo there until April 29, 2001. I was there in April (too early to earn a Jubileo - they changed the dates for the Jubilee year because Santo Toribio (Apr 16) fell on Palm/Passion Sunday). Potes is at the entry to Picos de Europa national park to the southwest of Santander. La Palomera bus lines serves Potes from Santander about 3-times daily (each way: about 900 pesetas, each way).
P.S.
A couple of weeks ago (11 Sep) we went by bus from Madrid to Santander (return 15 Sep). The Gran Clase (Business Class) bus was about 8.400 pesetas (roundtrip). That's about 2.000 pesetas more than the standard fare, but it gets you a restrom-equipped bus with a bus attendant to serve on-board food & drinks. I thought it was well worth the additional cost. Continental-Auto bus departs from Madrid's Avda. de America Multimodal Transportation Center and takes about 5.5 hours (w/1-stop - Torrelavega) - a very comfortable ride. We didn't go to Limpias or Garabandal (also in Cantabria), just Santo Toribio.
Visit my http://users.aol.com/iberiavntr/index.html for some interesting information.

[This message has been edited by Eddie (edited 10-05-2000).]

Eddie: thank you so very much. I have been trying to find out how to get to Limpias. I was desperate because I could not find a train, or a bus that would go there. Then, by looking at a map, I thought I would go to Burgos via bus and then try to get to Limpias somehow. Now, I know that I can go to Laredo... I thank you a million times. I really have to go, my heart is telling me to gol. Thanks again! Marilu

Marilu:
I hope you are still checking back on this 'thread.' I have been adding more info as I discover it (see (2.) below)

"I really have to go, my heart is telling me to go"
1. That's how I felt after my April trip. I had to go back! I did; and I am happy that I did. But I won't bore you with the personal side of my odyssey...

ALSA has frequent service between Santander & Bilbao: Be sure the ALSA bus you get from Bilbao or Santander stops in Laredo. The Supra Class buses don't; most of the regular ones do. Laredo is a nice seaside resort. You can probably stay there a few days (although it will be 'off' season and many of the cheaper places to stay will be closed).

2. After thinking about it, I checked it out and FEVE (Ferrocarril Espan~ol de Via Estrecha - the little yellow trains that run across northern Spain from Bilbao to Ferrol) has a 'discretional stop' in Limpias on its Bilbao-Santander service. I guess that's like a 'flag stop' here in the U.S. If the Motorman sees someone waiting, or if there's someone aboard who wants to get off, he stops; otherwise he doesn't. There are 3-trains daily each way: http://www.feve.es That will get you right to Limpias.
For example: You could leave Santander at 08:26 and be in Limpias at 09:25 (possibly even have an opportunity to attend Mass at San Pedro); then come back to Santander on a 15:06 FEVE arriving in Santander at 16:05. And if you opt to stay in Bilbao, you could make similar connections. BTW: The FEVE station in Santander is right across the street from the bus terminal. In April I stayed at Hostal Liebana which is very close to both of them (On C./Nicolas Salmeron, just past the Hotel Alisias).

[This message has been edited by Eddie (edited 10-11-2000).]

Please read my much-edited earlier post.

[This message has been edited by Eddie (edited 10-15-2000).]

Marilu-
I hope you're still checking this. I just ran across you. One of the more amazing church-visiting experiences I had was a trip to La Iglesia de Santa Cruz, just outside Segovia. It is on the same side of the town as the Alcázar (castle). It is an old 12-sided church with gothic frescoes on the walls and an incredible belltower. The amazing thing for me was when we asked the keeper questions. Apparently the entire front area is a cemetery-like area where those who lost their lives during the bubonic plague were buried. Bless them for trying to get as close to 'holy ground' as possible, at a time when real estate was at a premium. My ability to speak Spanish made this gem of an experience possible. I would hope that you are able to speak some. In addition, a group of gregorianos were practicing their singing in the chapel of the church while we were visiting. Truly hallowing. I highly recommend this, even though it's a small church.