A 10th-century village in the mountains of Cantabria. 7 stone buildings. A baroque ermita from 1752. On the Camino de Santiago. Ready to be reborn for the 2028 Jubilee.
before Jubilee 2028
A quiet call caught up with us — to withdraw from the noise of the world in order to be more present in it. Step by step, the path led us to Porcieda, an abandoned village where pilgrims have walked for a thousand years.
We didn’t see ruins, but a garden left fallow, waiting for hands. So we left Paris with our shepherd dog Coffee to restore the stone houses and welcome those walking the Camino.
Saving an abandoned village through pilgrimage, eco-tourism and sustainable agriculture.
A 25-bed albergue on the Ruta Vadinense. The restored ermita for worship and reflection. Hospitality as practiced for a thousand years.
4 casas rurales to be restored in stone and wood. A restaurant serving local produce. Retreats for groups seeking peace in the mountains.
Sheep and goats in extensive grazing. DOP honey (Miel de Liebana). Chestnuts from existing groves. Organic blueberries. Permaculture forest garden. Artisan cider from inherited apple trees.
At 700m altitude with panoramic views, Porcieda is an ideal base camp for Picos de Europa National Park (1.63M visitors/year, MITECO 2024).
Religious groups, yoga, artist residencies. The entire village will be bookable for immersive experiences in sacred silence.
Local chestnut timber frame, natural stone, ecological insulation. Low-carbon construction integrated into the landscape, with renewable energy systems.
Abandoned since ~1989, Porcieda still has 7 stone buildings, an ermita dedicated to the Virgen de las Nieves (1752), and centuries-old paths. Altitude 700m, views of the Picos de Europa.
In 961, a monastery dedicated to the Apostle Santiago was founded at Porcieda. For centuries, pilgrims walking the Ruta Vadinense stopped here on their way to Santo Toribio de Liebana — one of Christianity's four holiest sites. The baroque Ermita de Nuestra Señora de las Nieves (1752) still stands as witness to this sacred history.
There are places that hold time still. Porcieda is one of them. At 700 metres altitude, surrounded by chestnut groves and ancient oaks, the village has watched over the valley of Liébana for more than a thousand years. The wind carries the silence of the mountains. The stone walls remember every pilgrim who stopped here on the way to Santo Toribio. Abandoned for over thirty years, the village waits — not as a ruin, but as a seed planted in sacred ground.
The Jubilee Lebaniego 2028: when April 16 falls on a Sunday, Santo Toribio welcomes over 1 million visitors. Next one: 2028. Then not until 2034.
Each aspect of the project in detail.
Three lives united by faith, entrepreneurship, and the dream of reviving a 1000-year-old village. A letter from the founders, and why this project matters more than anything we've built before.
Read our letter