Santo Domingo, after whom the town is named, was a Benedictine monk who devoted his life to pilgrims in the 11th c. He tended the sick, building a hospital, and paved roads and a bridge - hence his name (calzada=causeway) - and finally, in 1044, founding the town itself. The causeway survives at the end of town on the road to Burgos. He is buried in the Cathedral. The Cathedral, begun in 1158, was one of the earliest Gothic constructions in Spain, although it was not completed until the 16th c. There is a dominant detached Baroque tower.

The Legend of the Hen and Rooster Miracle – from the Cathedral of Santo Domingo

“Legend tells of a German Pilgrim called Hugonell who was walking to Santiago with his parents, when they decided to rest at an inn in Santo Domingo de la Calzada. The owner of the inn´s daughter immediately fell in love with him; however her feelings were not reciprocated, so the girl, angered, placed a silver cup into his luggage and accused the boy of theft. Thieves at that time were punished by hanging, and this was the fate of Hugonell. His parents, saddened by his death, continued the pilgrimage, and upon arriving in Santiago de Compostela, began their return journey to visit the grave of their dead son. When they arrived in Santo Domingo however, they found their son still hanging in the gallows but, miraculously, alive. Hugonell, excited, said to them: “Santo Domingo brought me back to life, please go to the Mayor´s house and ask him to take me down”. Quickly, the parents arrived at the Mayor´s house and told him of the miracle. The incredulous Mayor, who was preparing to have dinner with friends, responded: “That boy is as alive as these two roast chickens we are about to eat,” and, suddenly, the chickens came to life, sprouted feathers and beaks and began to crow ... and so, to this day there is a saying about the town which goes: “Santo Domingo of the Way, where the roosters crow after being roasted”.

In front of the Mausoleum there is a stone, polychrome and gothic Henhouse, which was built in the middle of the 15th century to keep alive a hen and a rooster in memory of the most famous of Santo Domingo´s miracles. There are documents from Pope Clemente VI dated 1350 allowing these live animals inside the Cathedral. Below the cage is a representation of the pilgrim being hanged painted by Alonso Gallego. Above the cage there is a piece of wood from the gallows”.

Church and Mass – Catedral. Mass daily at 20:00, followed by pilgrim blessing.