Hermitage of La Concepción

The original building was renovated in the 16th century, as was the church. The entire complex was restored in 2009. Of the four hermitages that were on the outskirts, only this one remains: there was one at each cardinal point, coinciding with the roads.
When it lost its cult, it was a cemetery for a while, and then it fell into ruin. It preserves the original apse, where there are remains of artistic details and the arches that support the structure. Decorating one of the walls we can see the coat of arms drawn on the coat of arms, the Emperor Charles V granted it for services rendered to the kingdom.
It is located in the place of the same name, next to the old Berzocana road. It is a rectangular building except for the chancel. Its origin is uncertain, but the great work that will give the temple great dignity dates back to the time of Gutierrez de Vargas Carvajal (1524-1559), his coats of arms on the keystones of the arches that support the roof marks the sponsorship of the construction.
In the apse, the remains of a scene of the Annunciation and other vegetal and figurative motifs stand out among a geometric frieze that decorated the entire apse using the sgraffito technique, dating from around 1565. It is important to point out that there was an altarpiece covering the front wall, the work of José Sánchez, executed at the end of the 17th century.
This temple was abandoned in the nineteenth century to religious worship, serving as a cemetery (1821-1823) and, years later, as a shelter for poor passers-by, then it became a stable for livestock. This hermitage was used as a cemetery during the Liberal Triennium (1821-1823)179 when burials were once again prohibited in parish churches. Before its restoration, the portico of the hermitage had practically disappeared; the central nave of the wide bays and the apse remain. The keystones of the arches are topped with the coat of arms of Don Gutiérrez de Vargas Carvajal.
The few old photographs of the hermitage show how only the arches that support the roof and the apse remained, with the rest of the roof and a good part of the walls fallen down.
It was restored at the expense of the City Council in 2009, as stated on a plaque located at the entrance of the chapel: “This hermitage of Ntra. Sra. de la Concepción, was built and restored by the Excmo. Garciaz City Council …”. Now the entire building has been restored, with a large porch at the entrance. In spite of the intervention, there remains an antique touch in the whole that gives it an original stamp.
The image of the Virgin, patron saint of the hermitage, is in a very bad state of preservation on the stairs leading up to the choir in the parish church. Polychrome wood work of the sixteenth century. At present, the apse of this hermitage is presided over by a clothed image of Our Lady, a work from the second half of the 18th century.
The place has a very special charm. At the bottom of the valley, just before starting the ascent of the first pass that we find on the way to Berzocana. In the surroundings we have a good number of points of interest in our tour of Garciaz. If you haven’t seen it yet, on the way back to town you can stop and see it. The engravings of the Cancho de la Pataina or the viewpoint of the stars, also the banks of the river Garciaz, which many historic bridges to pass from one side to the other by the four cardinal points.