Borgia Fans-spoiler alert

Iglesia Snata Maria

Interior of Iglesia

We were on the Camino before dawn... not my favorite thing to do.  Since we opted not to bring our headlamps and bring “life gear” flashlights instead, the trick was how to hold the flashlight while using both poles to climb.  Just another use for my mouth and it worked well.  A couple of hours later we were sipping café con leche in a sidewalk café across from Iglesia de Santa Maria XIIIthc in the beautiful village of Viana.  For those of you who followed The Borgias mini-series with us, Cesare Borgia, illegitimate son of Rodrigo Borgia (Pope Alexander VI) was killed nearby this village and he is entombed at the church.  (this could be a spoiler alert) From where the mini-series left off, it seems that when his father died, Cesare, who you will remember was commander of the Papal armies, was banished to Spain where he was killed defending this village in a siege in 1507.  Many think that Cesare, who was a friend of Leonardo de Vinci, may have been used by Leonardo and other artists as the model for their images of Christ Jesus.  We were so impressed with the exquisite interior of this church. Sorry the pic is so dark but maybe you can get an idea. Wonderful that it has been so lovingly cared for all these centuries.