In the province of Valladolid, 17 kilometers from its capital and in the heart of the Hontanija Valley, is Wamba. This town, which has just over 300 inhabitants, is the only one in Spain whose name begins with W.
According to the website of its town hall, the origin of this place name dates back to the year 672: "The nobleman Wamba is chosen as Gothic monarch in this place as successor to the previous one, Recesvinto, who died in these places".
In addition to its curious name, the town of Wamba stands out for having one of the few Mozarabic-style churches that remain in Spain. It is the church of Santa María, whose head and transept correspond to a building from the 10th century. The construction was later enlarged and modified, so its body is Romanesque in style.
Inside you can see several altarpieces, such as one in the Flemish style made in the 16th century with gold and silver. Next to the church of Santa María there are some walls of the cloister of a monastery that was attached to the building. In its center is the tomb where the Gothic king Recesvinto is believed to be buried.
Behind one of the doors of the cloister that can be visited in this town in Valladolid is the ossuary of the Order of San Juan, one of its most surprising tourist attractions. The Wamba town hall points out that it is a place where about 1,000 human skulls are kept, as well as other types of bones, in a more or less stacked and orderly manner.
The remains have been accumulating since the Middle Ages and over several centuries. On one of the walls you can read an epitaph that says: "As you see yourself, I saw myself. As you see me, you will see yourself. Everything ends here. Think about it and you will not sin."
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