The initial day of the walk to the Galician capital. The truth is that from the beginning in Sarria the feeling had been very nice. It shows in the people who go with a good feeling and wanting to help other pilgrims. Here are our experiences. So that you go completely prepared, you must have the information of the following links present:
Buses | Taxis | Telephones
SARRIA – PORTOMARIN: 22km
The first stage consists of rural roads that are between two villages. Something that stands out about this stage is that it crosses the most important river in Galicia, the Miño river. The beginning of our walk was at the Paseo do Malecón do Río Sarria, where we we find various murals with paintings of pilgrims. These paintings help motivate you to walk the path. We follow the indications until we reach the access to Rúa Maior. A Escaleira da Fonte is that access and one of the emblematic places of Sarria. Once in Rúa Maior, you will find many buildings that we talked about in the previous publication (Getting to Sarria): Xulgados de Sarria, Igrexa de San Salvador, < em>Praza da Constitución, Council of Sarria, Edificio do Casino, Igrexa de Santa Mariña… Once we started to Leave the town of Sarria, leaving behind O Cárcere and its Viewpoint, we feel the purity of the air and the good sensations of leaving behind the stressful cities. The sections are not particularly complex, although the orography of the terrain does not allow establishing a constant pace in the first 10 km. The views, the landscapes, the tranquility and the history of the path become part of you and you forget about the difficulties that the terrain may cause. You pass through many villages, generally well cared for, although many houses are about to collapse (OWN OPINION: later they say there are housing problems…). The villages are beautiful and contact with nature begins to cleanse you. The arrival in Portomarín is one of the most beautiful. Crossing the new bridge over the Miño River and going up the steps to the Capela das Neves.
Time: 4-6 hours
MAP
This map includes the 5 days of the Camiño from Sarria to Santiago de Compostela.
HISTORY
The Villa de Portomarín was declared a Historical-Artistic Complex on February 8, 1946. This is due to its numerous vestiges which, in fact, are due to the numerous archeological vestiges that, in the form of medorras and castros, proliferate throughout the municipality: Castro de Catromaior, < em>Castro da Vires, Castro de Bedro, Castrolobrixe, Castro de Vila and Castro de Soengas. The Romans built the first bridge in the village in the 2nd century. Pilgrims used it on their pilgrimage to the tomb of the Apostle Santiago, as it was one of the few that crossed the Miño. Portomarín is already mentioned as “Portumarini” in the year 792. The origin of the town seems to be linked to Count Don Gutierre and Countess Dona Ilduara, parents of San Rosendo, Bishop of Mondoñedo and founder of the Mosteiro de Celanova in the s. X. During the Middle Ages it must have reached great importance, to the point of having 3 orders of chivalry: the Knights of the Order of Santiago, those of the Order of the Temple and those of the Order of the monks-knights of the Order of San Xoán de Jerusalén (the warrior character of these monks explains the appearance of the fortress of the Church of San Xoán, known as San Nicolás, as it is located in the San Nicolás neighborhood of old Portomarín). In the Calixtino Codex, Portomarín appears called Pons Minea (Miño bridge), and even then it was an important milestone on the Jacobean road, its greatest splendor being especially in the 10th to 12th centuries, when Portomarín, an obligatory step on the Camino de Santiago, is considered one of the most important landmarks, after passing the top of O Cebreiro. In 1112 Doña Urraca orders the destruction of the Bridge to stop the passage of the troops of her husband, Alfonso the Battler, to rebuild it 8 years later. In the recent history of Portomarín, the perpetual flooding of the old town stands out. This is due to the construction of the Belesar Reservoir. Only in dry season can you visit the ruins of the old town. Some important buildings, such as the Church of San Nicolao, were transferred to the new town stone by stone. Today, the primitive town is under the booms of the Belesar reservoir. The works began in 1956.
OUR SHELTER
The hostel we chose to spend the night was the Albergue Ferramenteiro. As the keynote of the hostels during the five days, it fulfilled its objective. The treatment of the staff was pleasant, even despite arriving about 15 minutes later than the check-in time. The sleeping space consisted of many bunk beds, although most of them were empty (let’s remember that it was in May). It has a washing machine and sink to wash by hand and a fairly extensive clothesline.
Price: €10/person
PUBLIC SHELTERS
If you want to see more alternatives, on the council website you can see all the accommodation that can be used in Portomarín.
WHAT TO SEE IN PORTOMARÍN?
Portomarín is a relatively small town, so once you have rested, you can spend some time getting to know it. In this section we will make a compilation of the places we saw and also those we did not see (we got them from the council website).
Old Town of Portomarín< /span>
The old town of Portomarín, as already mentioned in the HISTORY section, was declared a Historical-Artistic Site on February 8, 1946. Even so, it was submerged years later. If the level of the Belesar Reservoir is low, take advantage of it and get energy from anywhere to see it.
Miño Bridge in Portomarín
The construction of the old bridge dates back to the 2nd century. The Ruta de Santiago was directed to this bridge because it was the only way to cross the river without using rafts or boats. With the creation of the Belesar reservoir, a new bridge was built.
Belesar Reservoir
The Belesar reservoir is the first thing that surprises you when you arrive at the town of Portomarín. To get to the town you have to cross the Miño River over the Nuevo Portomarín Bridge. When the level is very, very low, you can see the Portomarín Roman Bridge, collapsed and rebuilt by Doña Urraca in the 12th century. But it would be General Franco and the president of Fenosa who made it disappear to carry out the construction of the second largest hydroelectric dam in Europe.
Stairway and Chapel of the Neves
After crossing the New Bridge over the Belesar Reservoir, the town welcomes us with a beautiful staircase. As soon as you approach the top of the stairs, you can see the small Chapel of the Virgen de las Nieves, located in an arch of the old medieval bridge in the urban center of the town, in the place that had once been occupied by the hospital of the Order. of San Xoán, known as Domus Dei.
Church of San Xoán – San Nicolao
The church of San Nicolao, formerly the church of San Xoán, was built between the end of the 12th century and the beginning of the 13th. It belongs to the late Romanesque. this building was declared a Historic-Artistic Monument on June 3, 1931. San Xoán de Portomarín is one of the most impressive Romanesque buildings, not only in the province of Lugo, but in all of Galicia. The large rose window stands out, with a geometric design. This was one of the reasons why, with the construction of the dam, it was decided to move the church stone by stone to a new location.
Castro de Castromaior
The Castro de Castromaior is a settlement that dates from the 2nd century BC to the 1st century AD. It is located atThe side of the place where the French way of Santiago passes when leaving Portomarín. It is worth deviating a few meters to contemplate it. Its defensive system of walls and moats stands out, as does its monumental fortified entrance on the east side.
Church of Saint Peter
The Church of San Pedro dates from the 10th century, although it was consecrated in 1182 by the bishop of Lugo Rodrigo II, according to the inscription that appears on the doorway of the temple. A Romanesque church, declared a Historic-Artistic Monument, it was moved stone by stone from the old Portomarín when the waters of the Belesar reservoir covered the town.
Other places
If what you want is to enjoy your stay in Portomarín one more day, you can try to visit the following places or do some of the nautical activities that are offered thanks to the reservoir.
Buqueira Viewpoint
Parks
Portomarín consists of a very large extension of parks, the largest in the urban area of all of Galicia. Among them are the A Vila Xardín Park, the Antonio Sanz Park, the Manuel de Blas Park and the Agustín del Río Park.
Río Ferreira Sendeiro Route
Portomarín Municipal Public Library
House of Culture
GASTRONOMY IN PORTOMARÍN?
In Galicia you eat well in almost all places, but in some better than in others. Here are the three things to drink in Portomarín
ELS
The eel empanadas are famous, although the version we ate at the Restaurant O Mirador it was fried. The recommendation is to try the empanada if possible, since the fried version does not allow you to enjoy the flavor of the eel.
PORTOMARIN TART
Delicious cake with almond dough, flour, eggs and sugar on follado dough. The soft and fluffy interior. It resembles the Tarta de Santiago. Internationally recognized. Its exquisiteness is due to the natural ingredients and its artisan preparation, which makes this sweet increasingly valued.
SPIRITY OF PORTOMARÍN
Aguardiente or cane is a liquor made from the distillation of the skin or bagasse obtained from the grape after fermentation. This drink can be tried anywhere in Galicia, but BE CAREFUL because it has a high alcohol content. In Portomarín, the Serenísima Orde da Alquitara was created, which already has more than 200 knights, invested on Easter Sunday for the Festa da Augardente, to promote this famous liquor. Aguardiente is the main ingredient of the most representative Galician drink: the queimada.
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REFERENCES
Galipedia – Castromaior Portomarín
Galician Heritage – Castro de Castromaior
The world – Portomarín, the town that the river swallowed Miño
Galicia Máxica – Urraca-2 Bridge
Consumer. Camino de Santiago – Stage from Sarria to Portomarín
