Max Abroad : The Best of Spain

For over seven centuries, the Atlantic waters west of the Canary Islands have been home to a captivating maritime enigma: the phantom island of San Borondón. Mentioned in maps and chronicles since the 13th century, this elusive land mass is famed for its habit of mysteriously appearing and vanishing, earning it the title of the "ninth island" of the Canary archipelago.

A Legend Born of a Saint

The legend of San Borondón traces its origins to the 6th-century Irish monk, Saint Brendan the Navigator. According to medieval accounts, the monk once landed on an island in the middle of the ocean that seemed solid ground, only for it to disappear suddenly. Popular tradition attributes the name of the phantom Spanish island to him.
Early depictions of the island were grand. The renowned Hereford world map of the 13th century shows an island named "Saint Brand" west of the Canaries, suggesting it would have been one of the largest in the archipelago, measuring an estimated 480 kilometres long and 155 kilometres wide. Despite its historical mention, its existence has never been definitively confirmed.

Centuries of Failed Expeditions

The allure of San Borondón was so strong that it spurred numerous expeditions between the 16th and 18th centuries, primarily focusing on the area northwest of El Hierro and near La Palma.
Notable attempts to find the island include:

• Late 15th Century: Fernando de Viseu, nephew of Infante Don Enrique the Navigator, led an early search.
• 1570: Hernán Pérez de Grado claimed to have reached the shores and even lost part of his crew on the voyage. The Portuguese pilot Pedro Vello also claimed to have landed, although he was forced to abandon the island due to adverse weather conditions.
• 1604: An expedition by Gaspar Pérez de Acosta and Friar Lorenzo de Pinedo returned empty-handed, suggesting the sighting was merely a bank of clouds on the horizon.
• 1721: Gaspar Domínguez led the last official expedition in search of the island, ultimately failing to find it.

Explaining the Vanishing Act

Today, San Borondón remains undiscovered, though the mystery of its reported sightings continues to spark speculation. Researchers have proposed several scientific explanations for the enduring legend:
Optical Illusions: The most common theory is that the sightings are mirages. These optical illusions are caused by light refracting in the atmosphere, making distant land or clouds appear closer, larger, and more distinct than they truly are.

Cloud Formations: Large, dense clusters of clouds over the sea can often assume the appearance of a floating, solid island, only to dissipate later, creating the illusion of a sudden "disappearance."

Volcanic Activity: Less likely, but intriguing, is the speculation that the sightings could be an underwater volcanic formation that briefly rises above the surface before sinking back into the depths.

As of 2025, the ghostly island of San Borondón remains an active part of Spanish folklore, a reminder of the legends still hidden within the vastness of the ocean.

The 17th Century "Palacio de Lerma" was the home of the Duke of Lerma, an influential favourite of King Phillip III of Spain. He was an important diplomat who negotiated numerous treaties and his magnificent and imposing palace was a symbol of his power. He could be described as a religious and racial bigot and was the person who, along with the Archbishop of Valencia, Juan de Ribera, initiated the expulsion of many thousands of Moriscos, the remnants of the earlier Moorish occupation of Spain, who had (officially at least) converted to Christianity. These two zealots had also encouraged the king to enslave the Moriscos for work in mines etc, as he could do so “without any scruples of conscience,”. Thankfully this proposal was rejected.

The Duke eventually fell from grace (but not before becoming a cardinal) and his palace fell into disrepair but it has now been sympathetically restored to become a “Parador”, a state-run, high end, tourist hotel, one of many historic buildings used in this Spanish effort to support tourism.

As one approaches Lerma on the nearby A1 autovia (either from Madrid or Burgos) one can see from a great distance the four imposing black spires (clearly recently renovated) at the corners of the building, looking like a giant, perhaps menacing, ecclesiastical edifice. From a distance, the building looks like one might imagine the headquarters of the Spanish Inquisition  (in keeping with the ideas that originated there) but when viewed up close from the town square it looks imposing and palatial. The palace had magnificent gardens and was reputed to have had 7 chapels (only one survives).

Next to the palace is an impressive church which, like the palace, bears the Duke’s coat of arms. Also check out the other historic buildings in the town including the tourist office, in a building where Rubens is said to have stayed.

If you fancy visiting the Palace and staying the night there  take a look here