“Therefore cast aside and forget all other things in order that you may have that which is the best of all. If you do this you will become a true pilgrim, who leaves behind him house, wife, children, friends, and goods, and denies himself all things in order that he may go on his journey lightly and without hindrance.”
____ Walter Hilton, The Parable of the Pilgrim[i]
Depart Porto-marín to Toxibó
Gonzar
Castro-mayor
Hospital
Cross the Lugo-Orense Road to
Ventas de Narón
On the Way: Portomarín to Palas de Rei
We left Portomarín early. Like the prior day’s walk, we had no certain destination for that day. We simply planned to make it as far as our legs could carry us—perhaps even to the town of Melide. The morning was cold, drizzly—sometimes the sky yielded light rain. It was to be so all day until we reached the town of Palas de Rei. My feet hurt even at the outset of our journey, probably from the long distance traveled the day before. One of my blisters on my heel showed signs of infection. It did not bode well for a long day.
From Portomarín the Camino followed the carretera, through the ceramics factory at the town of Cortapezas, and then onwards to the village of Toxibó, three houses large. From Toxibó until we reached the town of Gonzar the Camino and carretera were indistinct. At the center of Gonzar was the church of Santa María. We stopped for breakfast at Gonzar, and had some croissants and coffee. After leaving Gonzar we came upon the arroyo Balacado, which we followed into Castromayor. From Castomayor we headed to Hospital de La Cruz, a farming community named after an old hospital, which like scores of others no longer exists. The next township was Ventas de Narón.
Ventas de Narón is quiet now, but long ago the clash of arms and the din of war echoed through the valley, for at this place in 820 Anno Domini Christian and Moor fought a bloody battle. Past the town are the remains of an old hermitage, dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene, and a primitive cruceiro or cross. These cruceiros frequent the Camino in Galicia.
Somewhere here, the sermon Veneranda dies tells us, in days long ago, we had to be wary of the whores who, with feminine wile, would steal the virtue of the pilgrim just as the men in this area stole their goods with the threat of violence. For the homilist it was as evil—actually more—to steal a man’s soul and take his money in the bargain than to steal a man’s money alone. And so the homilist’s suggestion that the prostitutes here be not only excommunicated but have their noses cut off is a severe, but calculated mercy. For in his eyes, the loss of the whore’s nose would serve to stop the vice on the part of both the pilgrim and the whore, and save the souls of both. Sub specie temporis, to cut off a whore’s nose spites a whore’s face. Sub specie aeternitatis, to cut off a whore’s nose spites two vices. This was a rough Gospel.
A string of caseríos:
Prebisa
Lameiros
Ligonde
Eirexe
After passing Ventas de Narón, we traveled through a defile in the Serra de Ligonde into Prebisa, a town of two homes, on the left and Lameiros, with its chapel dedicated to San Mark, on the right. We followed the arroyo Ligonde past the rustic town of Ligonde. There we stopped for a brief respite at the pilgrim’s refugio at the end of town. After a short rest we walked to the town of Eirexe.
Portos
Vilar de Donas
Past the town of As Cruces, at the crossroads of the Monterroso-Lugo carretera, we passed Portos, a solitary house in a small plain. At Portos we crossed over two streams.
Lestedo,
Valos,
Mar-murria, and Brea
Ave Nostre
Lamelas
Alto do Rosario
The next town was Lestedo. It had a church dedicated to Santiago. The town had homes built solid, of rubble work topped with roofs of flagstones and tile. Close ahead merely steps apart were Valas, Mamurria, Brea, and Ave Nostre. Then, on we went to Lamelas and Rosario. At Rosario were once the gates of the town of Palas de Rei. Up here, on a clear day, one can see the peak of Monte Pico Sacro, by Compostela and the distant peaks of “strong Faro and long Faromello,” which from this distance are “blue, shapely, and far.”[ii] It is tradition, very sensible, to pray a Holy Rosary here, for it is under most circumstances sensible to pray a Rosary. From Rosario we traveled to the town of Palas de Rei.
Pray the Rosary
Into Palas de Rei
(574 m.)
Palas de Rei was at one time a royal city. The name is derived from Pallatium Regis, a reference to the fact that King Wittiza I of the Visigoths (702-10) lived here. An Arian and not a Catholic, King Wittiza was reputedly a reprobate, and he had the vicious habit of dishonoring his subjects’ wives and their daughters. Wittiza went further and passed special laws allowing husbands unlimited concubines and abolishing clerical celibacy. When Archbishop Gunderic of Toledo condemned the king’s behavior and his laws, Wittiza deposed him and replaced him with his friend, Sindered. The new Archbishop persecuted the clergy that resisted the King’s dabbling in ecclesiastical affairs. This led to discontent among his people, and a contingent of Visigoths advanced the royal claims of Prince Roderic, probably the dux of Baetica. The result was a civil war. At the death of Wittiza, Roderic claimed the throne, but Achila II, probably Wittizia’s son and certainly a relative, resisted what he viewed as usurpation. It is possible that Achila II invited in the Moor in his bid for the crown of his father. If he did, it was an imprudent move, and he paid a foolish price for his imprudence. Led by Tarik ibn Ziyad, the Arabs came over the Straights and Pillars of Hercules. As they passed into Visigothic Spain, they named the mountain that commands the straights in honor of their general, the Mount of Tarik, Gebel Tarik, or Gibraltar. At the battle of the Transductine promontories, Tarik routed Roderic. Things rapidly fell apart for Visigothic Spain: the bishop Sinderic abandoned his flock and fled to Rome and Roderic was killed. Achila therefore achieved nothing. Instead of regaining the crown, Achila lost both crown and country to the Moor. It took seven hundred years, much gold, much steel, and much Christian blood to undo that mistake.
I I I
Palla-tium Regis
Depart Palas de Rei
Over the ríoRoxan up to the Aldea de Riba
San Xulián do Camiño
On the Way: Palas de Rei to Leboreiro
Randi and I left Palas de Rei from the southwest, crossed the arroyo Roxan and walked into the Aldea de Riba and past the Carballal de Abaixo and Carballal de Arriba. From the Carballals we went through Lagoa and into San Xulián do Camiño. The town of San Xulián has a population of twenty-five, with a pleasant church of brown stone and white mortar. Beyond San Xulián is La Pallota, a two-cottage town. From La Pallota we descended to the river Pambre and its valley.
Descent to the valley of the río Pambre
Cross it up to Casanova
By Porto de Bois to Campa-nilla
Lugo,
Galicia
= = = = = = =
A Coruña,
Galicia
At O Marco between Couto and Cornixa
We crossed the Pambre River by way of the ponte Camaña. Past the bridge the land ascended through forests of pine, oak, and scented eucalyptus to the town of Casanova. It was late into the afternoon. By this time, my feet were in tremendous pain, and we had hoped to stay at the refugio in Casanova. Unfortunately, the pilgrim’s refuge at Casanova was small and already full. Besides, we learned that there was no restaurant, store, or café in the town. Since our food supplies were exhausted—unless we relied on the charity of others—we faced the prospect of forgoing both dinner and breakfast. An evening and morning without food after a full day of walking was out of the question. The thought itself was a folly.
After a brief rest in the refugio, we left Casanova and walked toward the next town which we knew from our guides had a pilgrim’s refuge. From Casanova, we began a descent into the basin of the arroyo Porto de Bois, a tributary to the Pambre, into the town of Porto de Bois. Here took place the battle between Henry of Trastámaras and the supporter of Pedro the Cruel, Fernando Ruiz de Castro, Count of Lemos. There was a bridge over the brook, and the road then lead us into Campanilla. Between the houses of Couto and the houses of Cornixa we crossed the provincial border between Lugo and A Coruña.
To Leboreiro
As we headed toward the arroyo Seco we came upon O Leboreiro, the ancient field of hares, or Campus Leporarius. The village was attractive, largely retaining its medieval look. It boasted a church, dedicated to Saint Mary, of robust Romanesque with a hint of Gothic, as I noted the pointed arches. The hospital that once serviced pilgrims now serves as a private home; it is across the street from the church of Santa María.
As the path entered into the town we came upon a Casa Rural, an old country home converted into an inn as part of a Spanish government program. The old home was painted white; windows were outlined in natural stone and green shutters. The home was called the Casa de los Somoza. Presumably, the home was at one time the homestead of the Somoza family. The premises were clean and warm to the eyes. When she saw us pause at the doorway from across the street at the Bar of the town, the matron ran over and offered us the last two rooms. The matron was a friendly and gregarious Galician woman. She expended great effort at making us feel welcome as she showed us to our rooms and described all her rural home’s amenities. I took my first warm bath in more than three weeks, tended my feet, and washed my clothes.
Later that evening, the matron of Leboreiro and her husband kept us well-supplied with wine at the verandah and, later, with Gallegan food and Spanish wine at dinner. After the meal they served us quemaido, a strong liqueur native to Galicia, on the house.
Thus fed and tired, I went to bed.
Campus Lepora-rius, the field of Hares
k
[i] Walter Hilton, O.A., The Parable of the Pilgrim, http://www.ccel.org/s/suso/wisdom/wisdom03.htm
[ii] King, II.465. “Therefore cast aside and forget all other things in order that you may have that which is the best of all. If you do this you will become a true pilgrim, who leaves behind him house, wife, children, friends, and goods, and denies himself all things in order that he may go on his journey lightly and without hindrance.”
____ Walter Hilton, The Parable of the Pilgrim[i]
Depart Porto-marín to Toxibó
Gonzar
Castro-mayor
Hospital
Cross the Lugo-Orense Road to
Ventas de Narón
On the Way: Portomarín to Palas de Rei
We left Portomarín early. Like the prior day’s walk, we had no certain destination for that day. We simply planned to make it as far as our legs could carry us—perhaps even to the town of Melide. The morning was cold, drizzly—sometimes the sky yielded light rain. It was to be so all day until we reached the town of Palas de Rei. My feet hurt even at the outset of our journey, probably from the long distance traveled the day before. One of my blisters on my heel showed signs of infection. It did not bode well for a long day.
From Portomarín the Camino followed the carretera, through the ceramics factory at the town of Cortapezas, and then onwards to the village of Toxibó, three houses large. From Toxibó until we reached the town of Gonzar the Camino and carretera were indistinct. At the center of Gonzar was the church of Santa María. We stopped for breakfast at Gonzar, and had some croissants and coffee. After leaving Gonzar we came upon the arroyo Balacado, which we followed into Castromayor. From Castomayor we headed to Hospital de La Cruz, a farming community named after an old hospital, which like scores of others no longer exists. The next township was Ventas de Narón.
Ventas de Narón is quiet now, but long ago the clash of arms and the din of war echoed through the valley, for at this place in 820 Anno Domini Christian and Moor fought a bloody battle. Past the town are the remains of an old hermitage, dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene, and a primitive cruceiro or cross. These cruceiros frequent the Camino in Galicia.
Somewhere here, the sermon Veneranda dies tells us, in days long ago, we had to be wary of the whores who, with feminine wile, would steal the virtue of the pilgrim just as the men in this area stole their goods with the threat of violence. For the homilist it was as evil—actually more—to steal a man’s soul and take his money in the bargain than to steal a man’s money alone. And so the homilist’s suggestion that the prostitutes here be not only excommunicated but have their noses cut off is a severe, but calculated mercy. For in his eyes, the loss of the whore’s nose would serve to stop the vice on the part of both the pilgrim and the whore, and save the souls of both. Sub specie temporis, to cut off a whore’s nose spites a whore’s face. Sub specie aeternitatis, to cut off a whore’s nose spites two vices. This was a rough Gospel.
A string of caseríos:
Prebisa
Lameiros
Ligonde
Eirexe
After passing Ventas de Narón, we traveled through a defile in the Serra de Ligonde into Prebisa, a town of two homes, on the left and Lameiros, with its chapel dedicated to San Mark, on the right. We followed the arroyo Ligonde past the rustic town of Ligonde. There we stopped for a brief respite at the pilgrim’s refugio at the end of town. After a short rest we walked to the town of Eirexe.
Portos
Vilar de Donas
Past the town of As Cruces, at the crossroads of the Monterroso-Lugo carretera, we passed Portos, a solitary house in a small plain. At Portos we crossed over two streams.
Lestedo,
Valos,
Mar-murria, and Brea
Ave Nostre
Lamelas
Alto do Rosario
The next town was Lestedo. It had a church dedicated to Santiago. The town had homes built solid, of rubble work topped with roofs of flagstones and tile. Close ahead merely steps apart were Valas, Mamurria, Brea, and Ave Nostre. Then, on we went to Lamelas and Rosario. At Rosario were once the gates of the town of Palas de Rei. Up here, on a clear day, one can see the peak of Monte Pico Sacro, by Compostela and the distant peaks of “strong Faro and long Faromello,” which from this distance are “blue, shapely, and far.”[ii] It is tradition, very sensible, to pray a Holy Rosary here, for it is under most circumstances sensible to pray a Rosary. From Rosario we traveled to the town of Palas de Rei.
Pray the Rosary
Into Palas de Rei
(574 m.)
Palas de Rei was at one time a royal city. The name is derived from Pallatium Regis, a reference to the fact that King Wittiza I of the Visigoths (702-10) lived here. An Arian and not a Catholic, King Wittiza was reputedly a reprobate, and he had the vicious habit of dishonoring his subjects’ wives and their daughters. Wittiza went further and passed special laws allowing husbands unlimited concubines and abolishing clerical celibacy. When Archbishop Gunderic of Toledo condemned the king’s behavior and his laws, Wittiza deposed him and replaced him with his friend, Sindered. The new Archbishop persecuted the clergy that resisted the King’s dabbling in ecclesiastical affairs. This led to discontent among his people, and a contingent of Visigoths advanced the royal claims of Prince Roderic, probably the dux of Baetica. The result was a civil war. At the death of Wittiza, Roderic claimed the throne, but Achila II, probably Wittizia’s son and certainly a relative, resisted what he viewed as usurpation. It is possible that Achila II invited in the Moor in his bid for the crown of his father. If he did, it was an imprudent move, and he paid a foolish price for his imprudence. Led by Tarik ibn Ziyad, the Arabs came over the Straights and Pillars of Hercules. As they passed into Visigothic Spain, they named the mountain that commands the straights in honor of their general, the Mount of Tarik, Gebel Tarik, or Gibraltar. At the battle of the Transductine promontories, Tarik routed Roderic. Things rapidly fell apart for Visigothic Spain: the bishop Sinderic abandoned his flock and fled to Rome and Roderic was killed. Achila therefore achieved nothing. Instead of regaining the crown, Achila lost both crown and country to the Moor. It took seven hundred years, much gold, much steel, and much Christian blood to undo that mistake.
I I I
Palla-tium Regis
Depart Palas de Rei
Over the ríoRoxan up to the Aldea de Riba
San Xulián do Camiño
On the Way: Palas de Rei to Leboreiro
Randi and I left Palas de Rei from the southwest, crossed the arroyo Roxan and walked into the Aldea de Riba and past the Carballal de Abaixo and Carballal de Arriba. From the Carballals we went through Lagoa and into San Xulián do Camiño. The town of San Xulián has a population of twenty-five, with a pleasant church of brown stone and white mortar. Beyond San Xulián is La Pallota, a two-cottage town. From La Pallota we descended to the river Pambre and its valley.
Descent to the valley of the río Pambre
Cross it up to Casanova
By Porto de Bois to Campa-nilla
Lugo,
Galicia
= = = = = = =
A Coruña,
Galicia
At O Marco between Couto and Cornixa
We crossed the Pambre River by way of the ponte Camaña. Past the bridge the land ascended through forests of pine, oak, and scented eucalyptus to the town of Casanova. It was late into the afternoon. By this time, my feet were in tremendous pain, and we had hoped to stay at the refugio in Casanova. Unfortunately, the pilgrim’s refuge at Casanova was small and already full. Besides, we learned that there was no restaurant, store, or café in the town. Since our food supplies were exhausted—unless we relied on the charity of others—we faced the prospect of forgoing both dinner and breakfast. An evening and morning without food after a full day of walking was out of the question. The thought itself was a folly.
After a brief rest in the refugio, we left Casanova and walked toward the next town which we knew from our guides had a pilgrim’s refuge. From Casanova, we began a descent into the basin of the arroyo Porto de Bois, a tributary to the Pambre, into the town of Porto de Bois. Here took place the battle between Henry of Trastámaras and the supporter of Pedro the Cruel, Fernando Ruiz de Castro, Count of Lemos. There was a bridge over the brook, and the road then lead us into Campanilla. Between the houses of Couto and the houses of Cornixa we crossed the provincial border between Lugo and A Coruña.
To Leboreiro
As we headed toward the arroyo Seco we came upon O Leboreiro, the ancient field of hares, or Campus Leporarius. The village was attractive, largely retaining its medieval look. It boasted a church, dedicated to Saint Mary, of robust Romanesque with a hint of Gothic, as I noted the pointed arches. The hospital that once serviced pilgrims now serves as a private home; it is across the street from the church of Santa María.
As the path entered into the town we came upon a Casa Rural, an old country home converted into an inn as part of a Spanish government program. The old home was painted white; windows were outlined in natural stone and green shutters. The home was called the Casa de los Somoza. Presumably, the home was at one time the homestead of the Somoza family. The premises were clean and warm to the eyes. When she saw us pause at the doorway from across the street at the Bar of the town, the matron ran over and offered us the last two rooms. The matron was a friendly and gregarious Galician woman. She expended great effort at making us feel welcome as she showed us to our rooms and described all her rural home’s amenities. I took my first warm bath in more than three weeks, tended my feet, and washed my clothes.
Later that evening, the matron of Leboreiro and her husband kept us well-supplied with wine at the verandah and, later, with Gallegan food and Spanish wine at dinner. After the meal they served us quemaido, a strong liqueur native to Galicia, on the house.
Thus fed and tired, I went to bed.
Campus Lepora-rius, the field of Hares
k
[i] Walter Hilton, O.A., The Parable of the Pilgrim, http://www.ccel.org/s/suso/wisdom/wisdom03.htm
[ii] King, II.465.
____ Walter Hilton, The Parable of the Pilgrim[i]
Depart Porto-marín to Toxibó
Gonzar
Castro-mayor
Hospital
Cross the Lugo-Orense Road to
Ventas de Narón
On the Way: Portomarín to Palas de Rei
We left Portomarín early. Like the prior day’s walk, we had no certain destination for that day. We simply planned to make it as far as our legs could carry us—perhaps even to the town of Melide. The morning was cold, drizzly—sometimes the sky yielded light rain. It was to be so all day until we reached the town of Palas de Rei. My feet hurt even at the outset of our journey, probably from the long distance traveled the day before. One of my blisters on my heel showed signs of infection. It did not bode well for a long day.
From Portomarín the Camino followed the carretera, through the ceramics factory at the town of Cortapezas, and then onwards to the village of Toxibó, three houses large. From Toxibó until we reached the town of Gonzar the Camino and carretera were indistinct. At the center of Gonzar was the church of Santa María. We stopped for breakfast at Gonzar, and had some croissants and coffee. After leaving Gonzar we came upon the arroyo Balacado, which we followed into Castromayor. From Castomayor we headed to Hospital de La Cruz, a farming community named after an old hospital, which like scores of others no longer exists. The next township was Ventas de Narón.
Ventas de Narón is quiet now, but long ago the clash of arms and the din of war echoed through the valley, for at this place in 820 Anno Domini Christian and Moor fought a bloody battle. Past the town are the remains of an old hermitage, dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene, and a primitive cruceiro or cross. These cruceiros frequent the Camino in Galicia.
Somewhere here, the sermon Veneranda dies tells us, in days long ago, we had to be wary of the whores who, with feminine wile, would steal the virtue of the pilgrim just as the men in this area stole their goods with the threat of violence. For the homilist it was as evil—actually more—to steal a man’s soul and take his money in the bargain than to steal a man’s money alone. And so the homilist’s suggestion that the prostitutes here be not only excommunicated but have their noses cut off is a severe, but calculated mercy. For in his eyes, the loss of the whore’s nose would serve to stop the vice on the part of both the pilgrim and the whore, and save the souls of both. Sub specie temporis, to cut off a whore’s nose spites a whore’s face. Sub specie aeternitatis, to cut off a whore’s nose spites two vices. This was a rough Gospel.
A string of caseríos:
Prebisa
Lameiros
Ligonde
Eirexe
After passing Ventas de Narón, we traveled through a defile in the Serra de Ligonde into Prebisa, a town of two homes, on the left and Lameiros, with its chapel dedicated to San Mark, on the right. We followed the arroyo Ligonde past the rustic town of Ligonde. There we stopped for a brief respite at the pilgrim’s refugio at the end of town. After a short rest we walked to the town of Eirexe.
Portos
Vilar de Donas
Past the town of As Cruces, at the crossroads of the Monterroso-Lugo carretera, we passed Portos, a solitary house in a small plain. At Portos we crossed over two streams.
Lestedo,
Valos,
Mar-murria, and Brea
Ave Nostre
Lamelas
Alto do Rosario
The next town was Lestedo. It had a church dedicated to Santiago. The town had homes built solid, of rubble work topped with roofs of flagstones and tile. Close ahead merely steps apart were Valas, Mamurria, Brea, and Ave Nostre. Then, on we went to Lamelas and Rosario. At Rosario were once the gates of the town of Palas de Rei. Up here, on a clear day, one can see the peak of Monte Pico Sacro, by Compostela and the distant peaks of “strong Faro and long Faromello,” which from this distance are “blue, shapely, and far.”[ii] It is tradition, very sensible, to pray a Holy Rosary here, for it is under most circumstances sensible to pray a Rosary. From Rosario we traveled to the town of Palas de Rei.
Pray the Rosary
Into Palas de Rei
(574 m.)
Palas de Rei was at one time a royal city. The name is derived from Pallatium Regis, a reference to the fact that King Wittiza I of the Visigoths (702-10) lived here. An Arian and not a Catholic, King Wittiza was reputedly a reprobate, and he had the vicious habit of dishonoring his subjects’ wives and their daughters. Wittiza went further and passed special laws allowing husbands unlimited concubines and abolishing clerical celibacy. When Archbishop Gunderic of Toledo condemned the king’s behavior and his laws, Wittiza deposed him and replaced him with his friend, Sindered. The new Archbishop persecuted the clergy that resisted the King’s dabbling in ecclesiastical affairs. This led to discontent among his people, and a contingent of Visigoths advanced the royal claims of Prince Roderic, probably the dux of Baetica. The result was a civil war. At the death of Wittiza, Roderic claimed the throne, but Achila II, probably Wittizia’s son and certainly a relative, resisted what he viewed as usurpation. It is possible that Achila II invited in the Moor in his bid for the crown of his father. If he did, it was an imprudent move, and he paid a foolish price for his imprudence. Led by Tarik ibn Ziyad, the Arabs came over the Straights and Pillars of Hercules. As they passed into Visigothic Spain, they named the mountain that commands the straights in honor of their general, the Mount of Tarik, Gebel Tarik, or Gibraltar. At the battle of the Transductine promontories, Tarik routed Roderic. Things rapidly fell apart for Visigothic Spain: the bishop Sinderic abandoned his flock and fled to Rome and Roderic was killed. Achila therefore achieved nothing. Instead of regaining the crown, Achila lost both crown and country to the Moor. It took seven hundred years, much gold, much steel, and much Christian blood to undo that mistake.
I I I
Palla-tium Regis
Depart Palas de Rei
Over the ríoRoxan up to the Aldea de Riba
San Xulián do Camiño
On the Way: Palas de Rei to Leboreiro
Randi and I left Palas de Rei from the southwest, crossed the arroyo Roxan and walked into the Aldea de Riba and past the Carballal de Abaixo and Carballal de Arriba. From the Carballals we went through Lagoa and into San Xulián do Camiño. The town of San Xulián has a population of twenty-five, with a pleasant church of brown stone and white mortar. Beyond San Xulián is La Pallota, a two-cottage town. From La Pallota we descended to the river Pambre and its valley.
Descent to the valley of the río Pambre
Cross it up to Casanova
By Porto de Bois to Campa-nilla
Lugo,
Galicia
= = = = = = =
A Coruña,
Galicia
At O Marco between Couto and Cornixa
We crossed the Pambre River by way of the ponte Camaña. Past the bridge the land ascended through forests of pine, oak, and scented eucalyptus to the town of Casanova. It was late into the afternoon. By this time, my feet were in tremendous pain, and we had hoped to stay at the refugio in Casanova. Unfortunately, the pilgrim’s refuge at Casanova was small and already full. Besides, we learned that there was no restaurant, store, or café in the town. Since our food supplies were exhausted—unless we relied on the charity of others—we faced the prospect of forgoing both dinner and breakfast. An evening and morning without food after a full day of walking was out of the question. The thought itself was a folly.
After a brief rest in the refugio, we left Casanova and walked toward the next town which we knew from our guides had a pilgrim’s refuge. From Casanova, we began a descent into the basin of the arroyo Porto de Bois, a tributary to the Pambre, into the town of Porto de Bois. Here took place the battle between Henry of Trastámaras and the supporter of Pedro the Cruel, Fernando Ruiz de Castro, Count of Lemos. There was a bridge over the brook, and the road then lead us into Campanilla. Between the houses of Couto and the houses of Cornixa we crossed the provincial border between Lugo and A Coruña.
To Leboreiro
As we headed toward the arroyo Seco we came upon O Leboreiro, the ancient field of hares, or Campus Leporarius. The village was attractive, largely retaining its medieval look. It boasted a church, dedicated to Saint Mary, of robust Romanesque with a hint of Gothic, as I noted the pointed arches. The hospital that once serviced pilgrims now serves as a private home; it is across the street from the church of Santa María.
As the path entered into the town we came upon a Casa Rural, an old country home converted into an inn as part of a Spanish government program. The old home was painted white; windows were outlined in natural stone and green shutters. The home was called the Casa de los Somoza. Presumably, the home was at one time the homestead of the Somoza family. The premises were clean and warm to the eyes. When she saw us pause at the doorway from across the street at the Bar of the town, the matron ran over and offered us the last two rooms. The matron was a friendly and gregarious Galician woman. She expended great effort at making us feel welcome as she showed us to our rooms and described all her rural home’s amenities. I took my first warm bath in more than three weeks, tended my feet, and washed my clothes.
Later that evening, the matron of Leboreiro and her husband kept us well-supplied with wine at the verandah and, later, with Gallegan food and Spanish wine at dinner. After the meal they served us quemaido, a strong liqueur native to Galicia, on the house.
Thus fed and tired, I went to bed.
Campus Lepora-rius, the field of Hares
k
[i] Walter Hilton, O.A., The Parable of the Pilgrim, http://www.ccel.org/s/suso/wisdom/wisdom03.htm
[ii] King, II.465. “Therefore cast aside and forget all other things in order that you may have that which is the best of all. If you do this you will become a true pilgrim, who leaves behind him house, wife, children, friends, and goods, and denies himself all things in order that he may go on his journey lightly and without hindrance.”
____ Walter Hilton, The Parable of the Pilgrim[i]
Depart Porto-marín to Toxibó
Gonzar
Castro-mayor
Hospital
Cross the Lugo-Orense Road to
Ventas de Narón
On the Way: Portomarín to Palas de Rei
We left Portomarín early. Like the prior day’s walk, we had no certain destination for that day. We simply planned to make it as far as our legs could carry us—perhaps even to the town of Melide. The morning was cold, drizzly—sometimes the sky yielded light rain. It was to be so all day until we reached the town of Palas de Rei. My feet hurt even at the outset of our journey, probably from the long distance traveled the day before. One of my blisters on my heel showed signs of infection. It did not bode well for a long day.
From Portomarín the Camino followed the carretera, through the ceramics factory at the town of Cortapezas, and then onwards to the village of Toxibó, three houses large. From Toxibó until we reached the town of Gonzar the Camino and carretera were indistinct. At the center of Gonzar was the church of Santa María. We stopped for breakfast at Gonzar, and had some croissants and coffee. After leaving Gonzar we came upon the arroyo Balacado, which we followed into Castromayor. From Castomayor we headed to Hospital de La Cruz, a farming community named after an old hospital, which like scores of others no longer exists. The next township was Ventas de Narón.
Ventas de Narón is quiet now, but long ago the clash of arms and the din of war echoed through the valley, for at this place in 820 Anno Domini Christian and Moor fought a bloody battle. Past the town are the remains of an old hermitage, dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene, and a primitive cruceiro or cross. These cruceiros frequent the Camino in Galicia.
Somewhere here, the sermon Veneranda dies tells us, in days long ago, we had to be wary of the whores who, with feminine wile, would steal the virtue of the pilgrim just as the men in this area stole their goods with the threat of violence. For the homilist it was as evil—actually more—to steal a man’s soul and take his money in the bargain than to steal a man’s money alone. And so the homilist’s suggestion that the prostitutes here be not only excommunicated but have their noses cut off is a severe, but calculated mercy. For in his eyes, the loss of the whore’s nose would serve to stop the vice on the part of both the pilgrim and the whore, and save the souls of both. Sub specie temporis, to cut off a whore’s nose spites a whore’s face. Sub specie aeternitatis, to cut off a whore’s nose spites two vices. This was a rough Gospel.
A string of caseríos:
Prebisa
Lameiros
Ligonde
Eirexe
After passing Ventas de Narón, we traveled through a defile in the Serra de Ligonde into Prebisa, a town of two homes, on the left and Lameiros, with its chapel dedicated to San Mark, on the right. We followed the arroyo Ligonde past the rustic town of Ligonde. There we stopped for a brief respite at the pilgrim’s refugio at the end of town. After a short rest we walked to the town of Eirexe.
Portos
Vilar de Donas
Past the town of As Cruces, at the crossroads of the Monterroso-Lugo carretera, we passed Portos, a solitary house in a small plain. At Portos we crossed over two streams.
Lestedo,
Valos,
Mar-murria, and Brea
Ave Nostre
Lamelas
Alto do Rosario
The next town was Lestedo. It had a church dedicated to Santiago. The town had homes built solid, of rubble work topped with roofs of flagstones and tile. Close ahead merely steps apart were Valas, Mamurria, Brea, and Ave Nostre. Then, on we went to Lamelas and Rosario. At Rosario were once the gates of the town of Palas de Rei. Up here, on a clear day, one can see the peak of Monte Pico Sacro, by Compostela and the distant peaks of “strong Faro and long Faromello,” which from this distance are “blue, shapely, and far.”[ii] It is tradition, very sensible, to pray a Holy Rosary here, for it is under most circumstances sensible to pray a Rosary. From Rosario we traveled to the town of Palas de Rei.
Pray the Rosary
Into Palas de Rei
(574 m.)
Palas de Rei was at one time a royal city. The name is derived from Pallatium Regis, a reference to the fact that King Wittiza I of the Visigoths (702-10) lived here. An Arian and not a Catholic, King Wittiza was reputedly a reprobate, and he had the vicious habit of dishonoring his subjects’ wives and their daughters. Wittiza went further and passed special laws allowing husbands unlimited concubines and abolishing clerical celibacy. When Archbishop Gunderic of Toledo condemned the king’s behavior and his laws, Wittiza deposed him and replaced him with his friend, Sindered. The new Archbishop persecuted the clergy that resisted the King’s dabbling in ecclesiastical affairs. This led to discontent among his people, and a contingent of Visigoths advanced the royal claims of Prince Roderic, probably the dux of Baetica. The result was a civil war. At the death of Wittiza, Roderic claimed the throne, but Achila II, probably Wittizia’s son and certainly a relative, resisted what he viewed as usurpation. It is possible that Achila II invited in the Moor in his bid for the crown of his father. If he did, it was an imprudent move, and he paid a foolish price for his imprudence. Led by Tarik ibn Ziyad, the Arabs came over the Straights and Pillars of Hercules. As they passed into Visigothic Spain, they named the mountain that commands the straights in honor of their general, the Mount of Tarik, Gebel Tarik, or Gibraltar. At the battle of the Transductine promontories, Tarik routed Roderic. Things rapidly fell apart for Visigothic Spain: the bishop Sinderic abandoned his flock and fled to Rome and Roderic was killed. Achila therefore achieved nothing. Instead of regaining the crown, Achila lost both crown and country to the Moor. It took seven hundred years, much gold, much steel, and much Christian blood to undo that mistake.
I I I
Palla-tium Regis
Depart Palas de Rei
Over the ríoRoxan up to the Aldea de Riba
San Xulián do Camiño
On the Way: Palas de Rei to Leboreiro
Randi and I left Palas de Rei from the southwest, crossed the arroyo Roxan and walked into the Aldea de Riba and past the Carballal de Abaixo and Carballal de Arriba. From the Carballals we went through Lagoa and into San Xulián do Camiño. The town of San Xulián has a population of twenty-five, with a pleasant church of brown stone and white mortar. Beyond San Xulián is La Pallota, a two-cottage town. From La Pallota we descended to the river Pambre and its valley.
Descent to the valley of the río Pambre
Cross it up to Casanova
By Porto de Bois to Campa-nilla
Lugo,
Galicia
= = = = = = =
A Coruña,
Galicia
At O Marco between Couto and Cornixa
We crossed the Pambre River by way of the ponte Camaña. Past the bridge the land ascended through forests of pine, oak, and scented eucalyptus to the town of Casanova. It was late into the afternoon. By this time, my feet were in tremendous pain, and we had hoped to stay at the refugio in Casanova. Unfortunately, the pilgrim’s refuge at Casanova was small and already full. Besides, we learned that there was no restaurant, store, or café in the town. Since our food supplies were exhausted—unless we relied on the charity of others—we faced the prospect of forgoing both dinner and breakfast. An evening and morning without food after a full day of walking was out of the question. The thought itself was a folly.
After a brief rest in the refugio, we left Casanova and walked toward the next town which we knew from our guides had a pilgrim’s refuge. From Casanova, we began a descent into the basin of the arroyo Porto de Bois, a tributary to the Pambre, into the town of Porto de Bois. Here took place the battle between Henry of Trastámaras and the supporter of Pedro the Cruel, Fernando Ruiz de Castro, Count of Lemos. There was a bridge over the brook, and the road then lead us into Campanilla. Between the houses of Couto and the houses of Cornixa we crossed the provincial border between Lugo and A Coruña.
To Leboreiro
As we headed toward the arroyo Seco we came upon O Leboreiro, the ancient field of hares, or Campus Leporarius. The village was attractive, largely retaining its medieval look. It boasted a church, dedicated to Saint Mary, of robust Romanesque with a hint of Gothic, as I noted the pointed arches. The hospital that once serviced pilgrims now serves as a private home; it is across the street from the church of Santa María.
As the path entered into the town we came upon a Casa Rural, an old country home converted into an inn as part of a Spanish government program. The old home was painted white; windows were outlined in natural stone and green shutters. The home was called the Casa de los Somoza. Presumably, the home was at one time the homestead of the Somoza family. The premises were clean and warm to the eyes. When she saw us pause at the doorway from across the street at the Bar of the town, the matron ran over and offered us the last two rooms. The matron was a friendly and gregarious Galician woman. She expended great effort at making us feel welcome as she showed us to our rooms and described all her rural home’s amenities. I took my first warm bath in more than three weeks, tended my feet, and washed my clothes.
Later that evening, the matron of Leboreiro and her husband kept us well-supplied with wine at the verandah and, later, with Gallegan food and Spanish wine at dinner. After the meal they served us quemaido, a strong liqueur native to Galicia, on the house.
Thus fed and tired, I went to bed.
Campus Lepora-rius, the field of Hares
k
[i] Walter Hilton, O.A., The Parable of the Pilgrim, http://www.ccel.org/s/suso/wisdom/wisdom03.htm
[ii] King, II.465.
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