Our route takes a spectacular turn and continues along the Ribera Alta de Álava, between the Salinas de Añana (the name's root, and it brings back to our memory a reference to the Mother Goddess) and the Valderejo Natural Park, belonging to the council of Villamaderne. Actually, and located relatively close to Pancorbo and those imposing Montes Obarenes, Bellojín currently has a worrying lack of neighborhood occupation, reducing it more or less than several resident families, who live, mainly, of agriculture and livestock . It is known that the temple was reformed in times; reform in which a small window was discovered in the wall, and possibly also discovered the paintings that are known to have in its apse, although in our visit, we were unable to access the interior.

The main portico, very simple, preserves at least a curious capital in which two determinative elements of knowledge in medieval symbology are shown, although of a completely opposite nature: birds and snakes faced, that in some way, could also make reference to the telism own of the place. The other capital, as well as the capital of the window of the apse and that one discovered during the aforementioned reform, show foliaceous, abundant and characteristic motifs of an art such as Romanesque, and perhaps, significantly abundant in the Romanesque of Alava.

In the arch of the portico, a chess-like motif can be seen, similar to that of jaques, which in no way differs from many other temples, probably having been polychromed in times.

Of the canecillos that have survived, really few, it draws attention that represents a human face and elongated, warrior, apparently, judging by the helmet or bonnet with nasal protection that carries. Next to him, a smaller and indeterminate face, which is in worse conditions.

Accompany these, a formidable monstrous head-whose mouth and lips resemble a snake, in which sharp teeth are appreciated-and also a curious character, perhaps incomplete, but who, given the position of his hands, could well refer to the vice solo of onanism.

Finally, comment on the detail, always to be taken into account, that the twin saints are also often related to the Temple. Coincidentally, this is the case of this small rural church of Bellojín, which is under the patronage of Saints Cornelio and Cipriano, and where, according to the oral traditions of the area, there existed a convent of templars.

If this statement were true, little is really what has survived and does not seem enough to establish a hypothetical parallelism with the elements of other places that maintain similar traditions, whose main enemies continue being, even more than time, the men themselves .

NOTICE: Originally published in my blog ROMÁNICA, ENIGMAS DEL ROMÁNICO ESPAÑOL. Both the text and the photographs that accompany it are my exclusive intellectual property. The original entry, where you can check the authorship of juancar347, can be found at the following address: https://juancar347-romanica.blogspot.com/2013/05/bellojin-iglesia-de-los-santos-cornelio.html