What could be scarier than a room full of bones? Perhaps there’s just the awareness of being surrounded by the remains of 3000 people who died between the 13th and 18th centuries, while there might be a Visigoth cemetery at your feet. This scary experience is for the brave in Wamba, Spain.
There are a lot of remains in Europe, but some of them are more terrifying than others. In the small town of Wamba in the Spanish province of Valladolid, there is a royal burial site that is also filled with living legends about Visigoth rulers and a terrifying comedy – all of which combine to leave a mark. permanently imprinted on locals’ and visitors’ perceptions of life and death.
Detail of one of the skulls in the Wamba remains. (el Pachinko/ CC BY NC 3.0 )
Visigothic settlement
The story of Wamba begins with King Wamba, the Visigothic ruler who was elected king of the land in 672 AD. He died just eight years later. As Raquel Alonso described in her article:
”On the night of October 14, 680, King Wamba fell unconscious and appeared to be dying, and was thus subjected to the sacrament of public penance (he had his hair cut, wore a shirt with his hair, and had an ash cross on him). his body while being encouraged to consider himself dead to the world). However, the king regained consciousness, but what had been done could not be undone and as a public penitent, he found himself unqualified to rule as king. As a result, Erving went to the mine the next day and was proclaimed king on the 21st of that month. This is how these events are described in the Laterculus Regum Visigothorum (…).”
The Election of Wamba as King, by Francisco de Paula Van Halen. (Public domain)
The ruler must be buried in a solemn place with full honors. This burial started a new tradition in Wamba. The impact of the Visigoths on European culture was impressive. However, many of their other buildings and achievements were destroyed or recreated as Christian sites.
Remember past glory
Before the site was called Wamba, the settlement was called Gerticos and it was already an important location for rulers such as King Recceswinth, who had a comfortable villa located in the area. Wamba became an important settlement over the years. Currently, Wamba is just a small town but its history has fascinated generations of archaeologists and historians.
Santa Maria Church is located in the center of town. Notable archaeological finds from its site are found at the Valladolid Archaeological Museum, but the church itself continues to be a notable Visigoth monument. It is possible that the Wamba area was abandoned for a time and resettled by people coming from the north. The church is therefore closer to the Asturian and Visigoth styles than to typical Christian buildings, such as those we can see in Andalusia.
Santa Maria Church, Wamba, Spain. (el Pachinko/ CC BY NC 3.0 )
Some researchers believe that the church is the oldest church in this area. It was first a Mozarabic church, but it was later rebuilt by the Knights Hospitaller of the order of Saint John of Jerusalem. At that time, the church was rectangular and only 18 meters (59 ft.) long and 12 meters (39 ft.) wide. The most notable part of the building is the complex of domes on columns. During the 12th century, the church was rebuilt in the Cistercian style, which is the dominant style to this day.
This church is famous for its royal burials. The most famous tomb belongs to Queen Urraca of Portugal, wife of King Ferdinand II of León and mother of King Alfonso IX of León. But the queen is not the only one buried here, the remains contain the bones of thousands of people. The huge number demonstrates the power of death over all who visit it. It is a macabre place that terrifies anyone with even the slightest sensitivity.
Ossuary in Wamba (Valladolid, Spain). ( CC BY SA 3.0 )
Fascinating composition of the skull
The vault contains the remains of more than 3,000 monks. It is unknown how many people are buried there, but researchers have tried to count the visible remains. Although these skeletons date from the 13th to 18th centuries AD, it is likely that some of them are even more ancient. The finer details of this ruin are still unknown. However, this structure seems to have existed for a long time. Furthermore, the skeletons are also a perfect source of information about the life and cause of death of the Wamba monks.
The epitaph on the remains reads: “As you see, I saw myself as you saw me, you see all the endings here. Think about it and you will not sin…”
Check the bones. (Fundación Joaquín Díaz / Cayetano Enríquez/ CC BY SA 3.0 )
Money and the magic of bones
The human remains became a huge money magnet for the Cathedral and the town. The creepy room is a tourist attraction today. Maybe its popularity comes from people’s fascination with the eternal search for the truth about life after death.
