Villarente

Puente Villarente sits in the province of Leon at the point where the Camino Frances crosses the river Porma. The village takes its name directly from the bridge, and from the long medieval crossing that has stood here in various forms for nearly a thousand years.

A pilgrim hospital, the Hospital de la Asuncion, was founded here in the 11th century during the reign of King Alfonso VI of Leon and Castile, the same king who chartered Sahagun and brought the Order of Cluny into Spain. The hospital sheltered and treated pilgrims crossing the river on the way into Leon city. The original Romanesque-medieval bridge had a long sequence of arches stepping across the wide flood meadow of the Porma. Most of what stands today has been rebuilt across the centuries, but the line of the medieval crossing is still visible. The parish church of the village is dedicated to Saint Peter.

Puente Villarente has limited but useful services. There are albergues including the Albergue San Pelayo, bar-restaurants, and a small shop. There is no pharmacy or ATM. Most pilgrims either pause here for refreshment or continue into Arcahueja and Leon city.