Photos of Nava de Béjar (Salamanca) (August 2016) (Part 1)

=> Photos from August 2016 (since I don't remember the exact date, I've provided an approximate date for when the photos were taken)

Nava de Béjar is a locality and municipality in the southeast of the province of Salamanca, in Castilla y León (Spain, Europe). It is part of the Sierra de Béjar region. It belongs to the judicial district of Béjar, the judicial party number 4 of the province of Salamanca, and is also part of the municipal associations of Embalse de Béjar and Pantano de Santa Teresa.

It has a population of 76 inhabitants (according to data from the INE in 2023) and covers an area of 11.73 km².

I have been summering (and even 'wintering' on some occasions) in this little village since I was 4 years old. Although at first glance it seems like a practically uninhabited village and for many even 'lifeless,' it has become my blessed and sacred holiday village and my personal paradise. Thanks to this blessed village, I now support the rural world and the fight against depopulation. This village has stolen my heart.

The beautiful parish church is dedicated to Santo Domingo de Guzmán, dates back to the 12th century, and is built in the Romanesque style typical of Salamanca. The patron saint of Nava de Béjar, beloved and revered by all the neighbors and summer visitors from outside, is Santo Domingo de Guzmán, who rests on the main altarpiece of his own parish church. Its patron saint festivities, in honor of Santo Domingo de Guzmán, are celebrated during the first two weeks of August; although the actual patronal festivities last five days, usually extending from August 3 to 7 (regardless of whether it falls on a weekend or a weekday), with the main day (the one of the solemn mass and procession) being August 4 and the announcement day being August 3; the remaining days of those first two weeks in August are mainly cultural and sporting activities held as part of the patron saint festivities.

And for those who enjoy museums, I should mention that in this small village of barely 76 inhabitants, there are 3 museums (two of them private but always open for visits with prior appointment with their owner). The 3 local museums are the Parochial Museum (private museum owned by Fidel Hernández Benjumeda, secretary of the Brotherhood of Santo Domingo de Guzmán; located in the old baptistery of the Parish Church of Santo Domingo de Guzmán), the Permanent Exhibition of Photographs of Nava de Béjar (museum open year-round with free entry; located in the main lobby of the Town Hall building; the opening hours coincide with those of the Town Hall and the Municipal Secretariat), and the Casa-Museum of Tío Tararira (private museum also owned by Fidel Hernández Benjumeda; located in the courtyard of Fidel's own home, in the Square of the Schools (a part of Pocillo Street); this is an ethnographic museum, showcasing what a traditional naver home was like from the 18th to the 20th century).