Santo Tomás de las Ollas is a modest-looking village church with a genuinely unusual interior. Its pre-Romanesque apse, with brickwork and horseshoe arches, gives Ponferrada a sight that is quieter than the Templar castle but just as good for travellers who like early medieval architecture.
The church sits in Santo Tomás de las Ollas, close enough to Ponferrada for a short detour by car, taxi, or a determined walk. Check access before making a special trip, because the value here is inside: the apse is the reason to go, not the exterior from the road.