This was my day off and it was whirlwind tour day: Muros, Hórreo de Carnota, Xallas, Cape Finisterre, Fisterra, Muxia, and Ponte Maceira. Here we go…
Muros: a beautifully preserved Galician fishing town where granite arcades, narrow streets, and sea all come together. Its harbor still feels genuinely working rather than staged for visitors.
We only had 45 minutes here, so I headed straight for the Church of Santa Maria do Campo (the traditional name) / Igrexa San Pedro (current parish name).
The plate outside states: Currently, it is the parish church of Muros. From its original construction, in the 13th century, the Romanesque façade must be highlighted. Inside, there is an example of the Maritime Gothic style, with a single nave made of several wide pointed arches, which give the building the shape of an upturned ship. This building was converted into a Collegiate Church in the year 1500, thanks to the privilege granted to the town by the papal bull of Alexandre VI. After the conversion, successive improvement works were promoted, such as the creation of side chapels, a baptistery and a tower bell, which was built by the Guild of Fishermen, one of the main benefactors of the tempie. In 1851, surrounded by the political conflicts of the 19th century, the temple lost its status of Collegiate Church. Inside the church, the water font is remarkable due to its ubmerged sculpture of a snake that symbolizes triumph over sin.
Yeah. It’s a snake!
Inside…
Beautiful statues in the many side altars…
And then… the scariest Jesus I’ve ever seen! My goodness, these Spaniards have a way of making a point.
One of the primary “crops” of Muros is muscles. There are many farms. These long ropes are dangled below the floating farms and the muscles attach, grow, and are harvested.
Hórreo de Carnota: A hórreo is a traditional raised granary found especially in Galicia and Asturias in northern Spain. It was built to store corn, grain, potatoes, and other food while keeping them dry and safe from rodents.
Most are about this size…
The design is such that mice could climb up the pillars but the small round top of the pillars that the building sits on is flat and the little vermin couldn’t navigate them. The slats on the sides are for airflow. They are no longer used, but if one is on your property, you are required to keep it standing and repaired as they are considered part of the regional heritage.
As I said above, most are smaller, but we saw one of the largest…
Who would need such a large hórreo? Why the Church, of course. At the time, farmers were required to tithe 10% and the Church needed somewhere to store it all. See a big hórreo, look around… the church will not be far.
Xallas: Everything is big in Xallas and this was a big waterfall. Over 100 feet high. The water at the bottom is a combination of sweet water and salt water as the Atlantic Ocean is very near. In the past, the waterfall was much greater, but most of the water is now running a hydroelectric plant.
Cape Finisterra: We are now traveling along the the Costa da Morta (Coast of Death), getting its name from all the shipwrecks.
Enter the Raqueiros. These bandits supposedly put false lights along the shore—one famous version says lanterns were attached to cattle—so sailors would mistake them for safe harbor lights, steer toward shore, wreck on the rocks, and leave their cargo available for plunder. There were plenty of ships to plunder after they wrecked, but apparently an archbishop declared that all found property belonged to original owner and had to be returned. Yeah… and they also outlawed liquor in the USA for a while. I’ll let you figure out if said archbishop was obeyed. The actual lighthouse…
For many years, it was considered to be the end of the world, and it is easy to see why: no more beyond.
My artistic shot…
Fisterra: We stopped for lunch and I forgot to take pictures! It was good—Longueirón (Knives) from Fisterra and Galician Scallops. And then to the place I’ve been waiting for…
Muxia: I’ll let the pictures do the talking here, but will tell you that I was right down there below that big rock with red dot.
I posted a video on Facebook if you can get to it.
There is a church, but a lightning strike started a fire and it was gutted. Repairs are underway.
And just being weird here, but there was a large pile of rubble outside the building that the workers had been clearing out. Caught one of them on a smoke break and asked for a piece. He smiled and found me a good one. Yeah. It’s concrete, but it was close…
Last stop—Ponte Maceira: a bridge that spans the Tambre River on the Camino from Santiago toward Fisterra. According to medieval legend, Saint James’s disciples, Theodore and Athanasius, crossed an earlier bridge here while fleeing Roman soldiers after seeking permission to bury the Apostle. As their pursuers followed, the bridge miraculously collapsed, leaving the disciples safely across the river. The present medieval bridge came centuries later, but its seven stone arches still carry the memory of that miraculous escape.
That was nine hours of my life that I wouldn’t trade. Such an amazing and rich history here. Google these towns and ask about the legends surrounding them, especially regarding the Camino de Santiago and St. James. Fascinating.
I pray you are all well.
