Pilgrimage of Santa Águeda in Barakaldo.

Traditional ascent to the hermitage of Santa Águeda in Barakaldo.

The pilgrimage of Santa Agueda of Barakaldo is celebrated every year on February 5. An emblematic festivity, in which the traditional climb to the hermitage in the neighborhood of Las Delicias (Urgozo) takes place. The slopes of Mount Arroletza are filled with food and drink stalls to satiate the thousands of people who make the pilgrimage from the neighborhood of Cruces. Normally, the pilgrimage also takes place on the Sunday before or after the festivity to give everyone the opportunity to participate. Do you dare to make the pilgrimage to Santa Agueda with us?

Pilgrimage on February 5.

The pilgrimage of Santa Agueda is celebrated every February 5 on the slope of Mount Arroletza. It is one of the most deeply rooted and popular festivities in Barakaldo. A day in honor of Santa Águeda, in which people go up in pilgrimage to the small hermitage that we find in the upper part of the neighborhood of Las Delicias (Urgozo). Although fewer and fewer people make this pilgrimage for reasons of faith, many devotees make this traditional route from different parts of Barakaldo. A route, which is part of the Camino de Santiago of the coast. Although the official day is February 5, when it is a working day, the pilgrimage is usually held on the weekend so that a greater number of people can enjoy it. Of course, although the chapel is open on both pilgrimages, the masses are only held on February 5. As the song in Basque aintzaldu daigun Agate Deuna says, let us glorify Santa Agueda.

Video.

As usual in all our publications, we have created a short video to show you the pilgrimage to Santa Agueda as real as possible. We hope it will be helpful. In case you like this kind of videos, we encourage you to subscribe to our YouTube channel to discover all the places and experiences that we recommend in Euskal Herria. We are waiting for you!

Route.

The route of this pilgrimage has a total length of 7 kilometers. About 2 hours walking. The center of Cruces (Barakaldo) and the upper area of the neighborhood of Las Delicias (Urgozo) are connected by road, so we will walk along the sidewalk until it disappears when we enter the neighborhood of Las Delicias (Urgozo) and from this point we will continue along the road. The day of the pilgrimage this section of the road is usually closed to traffic. You can consult any doubt with the local police of Barakaldo.

Assuming that we use the metro to get to Barakaldo, we must cross the Plaza de Cruces and go to the footbridge over the A8 freeway until we reach Basatxu street. Once there, we must go up the whole street until the first traffic circle. Turn right, it’s time to go up. Remember, you must not leave Basatxu street. In any case, at this point we will find the control of the municipal police of Barakaldo. From here the crowd will show us the way. Anyway there is no loss, straight ahead without deviating.

Gastronomy.

Along the route we find a good number of stalls offering typical Basque products such as aniseed doughnuts, Basque cake, txakoli, cider, caramelized almonds, San Blas laces or handkerchiefs. Small mobile stores, which, together with those found in the vicinity of the chapel, offer a great service to all those who enjoy the pilgrimage and traditional dances.

Hermitage of Santa Águeda in Barakaldo.

Although there is not much information about the hermitage, the documents in which this temple is cited indicate that it is a structure originating in the sixteenth century. A temple, which has little or nothing to do with the hermitage we find today. And we must emphasize that it underwent various reforms in the eighteenth century and in the twentieth century. At present, in the interior are still preserved elements of great importance with the image of Santa Agueda, the carving of the crucified Christ, the figure of Santiago Matamoros, the figure of Santa Ana or the image of Santa Quiteria.

Saint Agatha.

Santa Agueda, Agate Deuna in Basque, is a festivity with deep roots in Euskal Herria. A day marked in the calendar, which honors this saint and martyr born in Sicily. According to the story, she was a woman of great beauty who had rejected the proconsul of Sicily. The latter, as punishment, sent her to a brothel. Miraculously, Agueda did not lose her virginity. When the proconsul found out, he ordered her to be tortured and her breasts cut off. That same night, St. Peter appeared before her, healing her wounds. Finally, the proconsul ordered her to be thrown into the fire. Today she is considered the protector of women.

Tradition of Barakaldo.

The climb to the hermitage of Santa Agueda is one of the great traditions of Barakaldo. A festive day around the figure of Santa Águeda in which the road is filled with stalls with typical gastronomic products of these dates. Although this tradition is typical of the town of Barakaldo, it is common to find people from all over the province, especially from Alonsotegi and Bilbao.

How to get there.

Although you can get to the vicinity of the neighborhood of Cruces (Barakaldo) by private transport, it is recommended to do so by public transport due to the large influx of people. In any case, you should know that if you decide to use your private vehicles, there is OTA (Ordinance of traffic and parking) that regulates parking in much of the municipality. Do not forget to pay when parking. In addition, on that day, the local police cut the traffic to protect the pilgrims. If you opt for public transport, the best option is to use the metro. You can also use the buses of Bizkaibus (line A3151) and Bilbobus (line 88) or the FEVE trains.

What to see nearby.

If you are going to move to Barakaldo to enjoy this pilgrimage, we recommend you to take a look at the destinations that we recommend you to visit nearby. We hope you like them. Remember that we offer guided tours throughout the Basque Country.

What to do nearby.

If you want to know what to do in the vicinity of Barakaldo and Bilbao, we recommend you to take a look at our reservation center. A section in which we mention all the experiences that we recommend in Euskadi. We hope you find it helpful. We leave you a short list with some of the most demanded activities.

The pilgrimage of Santa Águeda in Barakaldo is one of the most emblematic traditions of this town in Bizkaia. We encourage you to use the comment system that you will find below these lines to send us all your doubts. We will try to respond as soon as possible. Ondo pasa!