A land of clouds and legends

O Cebreiro

Cebreiro, the land of Pallozas, is the gateway to Galicia for those who follow the Way of Saint James. They climb from the Meseta up to over 1.300 metres in height, the highest point of the surrounding mountains, dark and gloomy.

This is also the “rain divide” between the wet Galicia and dry central Spain. Here the clouds stop their ride from the Atlantic ocean. They’ve been pouring water over the whole Galicia and the last drops fall here. Well, they aren’t really only drops. It rains cats and dogs very often.

Pallozas

It is also cold, up there. The tired wayfarers, used to the hot and dry climate of the Spanish Meseta have usually a hard day, climbing the mountain and experiencing a new climate. At the end of the way they find shelter in the “pallozas“, elliptical stone houses with a pointed roof of woven reeds. They are probably of Celtic origin since Cebreiro was founded before the arrival of the Romans. Some years ago there were people living here, but nowadays they only host restaurants and shelters for the pilgrims.

This is an ancient tradition here in Cebreiro. The monks of Cluny had a hostel until the last century when new roads were open and the way of St. James wasn’t anymore the only link between the Atlantic corner of Galicia and the rest of Europe.

The story

The hostel still stands, close to the Romanesque church of the IX century that hosts the holy chalice with the relics of the legendary miracle of the Holy Grail. Tradition is that a weary priest was celebrating Mass in the little village church one winter’s day. A peasant from a nearby village, having fought his way to the top of the mountain through a fierce snowstorm in order to hear Mass entered the church just as the priest was performing the consecration. The priest insulted the peasant’s faith and ridiculed him for having come all the way to the top of the mountain in such severe weather in order to witness a non-existent miracle. At that very moment, the bread and the wine on the altar were literally transformed into flesh and blood. (Source: http://www.pilgrimpathways.com/pilgrim_pathways.asp?IdSeccion=1&IdNoticia=46)

A Royal visit

In 1486 the Catholic Monarchs, on a pilgrimage to Santiago, stopped at the monastery of O Cebreiro and donated the shrine where the relics of the miracle are still held. The chalice of the miracle appears in the arms of Galicia. But the Romanesque church that hosts the chalice is a fake because the medieval church that was the stage of the legend was destroyed at the beginning of the 19^th century during the anti-clerical revolution and the present church was re-built in O Cebreiro in 1965–71 on the foundations of a pre-Romanesque church rediscovered in 1962.

In 1809 Cebreiro was invaded by the Scottish troops of General John Moore, in his retreat to La Coruña as he was pursued by the French. Several hundred British were killed due to the harshness of the Cebreiro winter. During this period, the relics of O Cebreiro were hidden in the village of Foxos, but the documents of the monastery were destroyed.

The road also had great importance in the Spanish War of Independence, due to its strategic position between León and Galicia.

Modern times

From the nineteenth century, Piedrafita do Cebreiro was a passage of the first modern highway between Galicia and inner Spain. In the twentieth century, it became the first motorway, which crosses the mountains by two tunnels.

So now the old path has lost its economical importance, but still hundreds and hundreds of wayfarers sweat along the steep way. Once on the top, the feeling is something like “OK, I’m done, Santiago is just around the corner”. It’s not really like that. But this feeling provides the pilgrim with some good mood to spend the night in bad weather on the top of a mountain at the border with Galicia. The land of fairy tales and witches, woodland fairies, flying spirits and Celtic mists wait for him/her.

È la porta d'accesso alla Galizia per chi percorre il Cammino di Santiago. Cebreiro venne fondata prima dell'arrivo dei Romani, come testimoniano le "pallozas", abitazioni di pietra dalla forma ellittica con tetti di paglia, di probabile origine celtica. Un altro sito di interesse e valore storico è la chiesa preromanica di Santa Maria la Real, fondata nell'XI secolo dai monaci benedettini. Il paesaggio della Galizia è pieno di fiabe e proverbi, streghe e maghi, di apparizioni inattese e bo¬schi fatati, spiriti volanti e nebbie celtiche, anche chi cammina solo per qualche ora nella penombra e poi prosegue per tutta la notte si sente prigioniero di una chimera, il sentiero non è un sen¬tiero, i cespugli sono cavalli, la voce che sento viene da un altro mondo. E fa anche freddo, quando arrivo in cima al Cebreiro ne¬vica, entro in una di quelle capanne di pietra preistoriche, pallo- zas, bassa, scura, pavimento di terra, mobili che sono ancora quasi alberi, pentole annerite che un tempo erano appese sopra un fuo¬co in mezzo alla capanna, permane odore di fumo, il tetto aguzzo di canne intrecciate, come le capanne dei Dogon nel Mali. Ven- t’anni fa qui ci viveva ancora della gente, nove di queste costru¬zioni sono conservate, ma non c’è più nessuno che accenda il fuo¬co, eppure un tempo tutta l’Europa passava di qua perché in cima a questa montagna era accaduto un grande miracolo: un contadi¬no credente, un monaco miscredente, la vera carne, il vero san¬gue, il calice che lo contenne c’è ancora, perfino i re cattolici ven-nero a vederlo. Anche qui i monaci di Cluny avevano un ostello, se ne anda¬rono appena nel secolo scorso, in silenzio, come chi è stato in un luogo per mille anni e ora volta l’ultima pagina di un libro molto spesso che chiude per sempre, una storia passata di potere, fede e politica, che per secoli ha dominato la storia d’Europa. C’è anco¬ra, quell’ostello, sembra quasi che sia stata la montagna stessa a costruirlo, brilla quella pietra grezza e fredda, la chiesa attigua del ix secolo è altrettanto scostante, il cammino doveva essere duro e faticoso prima di avvistare l’obiettivo. Qui c’è lo spartiacque tra l’Oceano Atlantico e il Mar Cantabrico, è il punto più alto delle montagne circostanti, bruna e cupa, la terra punta a Occidente. Cees Nooteboom, Verso Santiago. Pedrafita do Cebreiro (Spanish: Piedrafita del Cebrero) is a municipality in the province of Lugo in Galicia, Spain. It borders the Lugo municipalities of As Nogais, Cervantes, Folgoso do Courel, Samos and Triacastela. Its eastern boundary borders the province of León. It belongs to the comarca of Os Ancares. The French Way of the Way of St. James enters Galicia from León through the municipality and passes through the village of O Cebreiro. The village has some pallozas, including one that houses a small ethnographic museum. The Royal St. Mary's Church, also known as the Church of St. Benedict, was built in O Cebreiro in 1965–71 on the foundations of a pre-Romanesque church rediscovered in 1962. The history of the town is strongly influenced by the importance of its port, the importance it has in the Camino de Santiago and the main gateway to the north of Galicia. The pallozas, archaic type of homes from which some specimens are preserved in the village of O Cebreiro, testify to a settlement before the Romans. Some of them have been restored to house an ethnographic museum and a refuge for pilgrims. The Port of Piedradita was crossed by a Roman road that led from Astorga to Triacastela, on the interior the ancient Galicia. Later that road gave way to medieval roads leading to Camino de Santiago and a Camino Real. The religious importance of this step was reinforced by the legendary miracle of the Holy Grail, which occurred in O Cebreiro, and since then a must for the Jacobean pilgrims. In 1486 the Catholic Monarchs, on a pilgrimage to Santiago, stopped at the monastery of O Cebreiro and donated the shrine where the relics of the miracle. The old Romanesque monastery chalice appears in the arms of Galicia. The road also had great importance in the Spanish War of Independence, due to its strategic position between León and Galicia. In 1809 it was used by the Scottish troops of General John Moore, in his retreat to La Coruña as he was pursued by the French. Several hundred British were killed due to the harshness of that winter. During this period, the relics of O Cebreiro were hidden in the village of Foxos, but the documents of the monastery were destroyed. From the nineteenth century Piedrafita do Cebreiro was a passage of the first modern highway between Galicia and the plateau. In the twentieth century it became the first motorway, which crosses the harbor by two tunnels.

Santa Maria La Real. O Cebvreiro, Galicia, Spain

Young pilgrims. O Cebreiro, Galicia, Spain

Sticks. Way of St. James, O Cebreiro, Galicia, Spain

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4 thoughts on “In the land of Pallozas”

nylonliving says: 10 anni ago

beautiful photos! thanks for the historical details as well.

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Antonio Mérida Villar says: 11 anni ago

Genial !! Enhorabuena y saludos.

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David Smith says: 11 anni ago

Very beautiful, historic and so interesting!!

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