The municipality of Castropodame has become the guardian of beautiful ancient stories, which are across their castros and gold mines.  Its instructive sundials, which will teach us another way of looking at the sky.

The head of this council is composed of seven people Castropodame, where much of the existing gold holdings in the area. They come from Roman times, and although the mines are very big, can be visited only areas known as the Cave of Carralón and the Moro. The dimensions are such that here is estimated to be removed over two million cubic meters of earth and were obtained four tons of gold. This worked two thousand slaves for fifty years.

That this was an area rich in resources already knew well what the old settlers Boeza The waters of the river, the forests of chestnut, Chopera, hot springs and ordered orchards, then had to be an inexhaustible source of resources away from a climate tempered. Even traditional arts han ido passed from generation to generation until today: in Villaverde of Cestos remains the art of basketry that gave him name, Turienzo Castañera meets once a year magosto whose origin is lost in time, and has Calamocos become an alternative route for pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago. 


 Along the same lines has recovered an ancient namely astronomy. It began building a park in solar Castropodame.

 San Bernardino, our skipper

San Bernardino of Siena, also called Bernardine, was born on September 8, 1380 and died on May 20, 1444.  It was a predicadoritaliano a misionero franciscano and a Santocristiano.

-Youth

Bernardino was born in 1380 as the son of the noble family of Albizeschi in Massa Marittima (Tuscany). Su padre fue el gobernador de esta ciudad Sienesa. His father was the governor of this city Sienese. When he was 6 years old, her parents died, and since then grew into the house of an aunt. After his basic education, he worked some years caring for the sick in a hospital. En Siena estudió después Derecho civil y canónigo. In Siena later studied civil law and canon. During this time, with the appearance of plague was 1400, worked at the hospital of Santa Maria della Scala, and encouraged other men to do the same. It was developed symptoms of this epidemic, but survived.

 - Early in the Franciscan Order

In the year 1402 or 1404, he entered the Order Franciscanade enforcement. He donated all his possessions to the poor. At around 1406San Vincent Ferrer during his sermon in Alessandria in Piedmont, elected Bernardino to meet the Evangelization of Italy. Bernardino took just twelve years. During these years, probably retired Bernardino lived in the convent in the mountains of Capriolo, near Siena. 

It is said, has "cured" a prostitute sienesa "expelling the devil" in his body. He preached in Milan in 1417 or 1418. After preached the gospel in neighboring cities over the next four years.

- Stations in his life: Preacher, vicar, diplomat

During more than 30 years Bernardino preached in Italy. He had an important role in the revival of religiosity at the beginning of the fifteenth century. He had much public during his sermons. Reconcile quarrels, and performed miracles. In 1425, preached every day for seven weeks in Siena.

The year 1427 was ordered ahead of a trial in Rome defending the accusation of heresy; attended theological such as Paulus Venetus. Bernardino was found not guilty. Pope Martin V invited him to Rome to preach. In the same year, she was offered the post of bishop of Siena, but rejected it in order to continue with their monastic activities and evangelism. In 1431, he travelled in Tuscany, Lombardy, Romagna and Ancona. He returned to Siena to prevent a war against Florence. He dismissed in 1431, the post of bishop in Ferrara, and in 1435 the Urbino.

During these years, Juan Capistrano has been a friend, and James of the Marches was his disciple.  The potatoes Martin Eugene IV and V helped him. The emperor of the Holy Roman Empire GermánicoSigismund sought the advice of Bernardino who accompanied him to his coronation in Rome in 1433.

Capriolo Bernardino again to develop a series of sermons. In 1436 began again with his missionary work, but in 1437 had to leave because he was elected vicar general of the Franciscans observantes of Italy and shortly thereafter, in 1438, represented the entire order in Italy.

In 1442, Bernardino asked the pope his resignation as vicar general to be devoted to preaching again and resume his missionary work. Despite the bull issued by Pope Eugene IV in 1443, in which the pope instructed Bernardino to support the crusade against the Turks, there is no evidence of his life preacher at this time. In 1444, despite his illness, Bernardino traveled to the Kingdom of Naples, fulfilling his desire to have preached in all parts of Italy before dying.

- Death

Bernardino died in the year 1444 in Aquila in Abruzzo. His tomb bleeding continued until two factions of the city were reconciled.

- Canonization and holiday

The stories of his miracles multiplied and well Bernardino in 1450 and was canonized by Pope Nicholas V, only six years after his death. In the Catholic Church, is honored him on May 20, at the time of his death (name day).

- Skipper

San Bernardino is the patron saint of different activities, illnesses and places. It deals with the Advertising, Corporate Communication, the Problem Gambling, and respiratory problems.

-Preaching anti-sodomy

At this time, these practices were considered as "divine misery", just like the plague, some clerics had hoped that disaster could be avoided by restricting immoral practices.