O Cebreiro

The starting point of the Galician section of the Camino de Santiago, it is a place that is worthwhile in itself, although it is very marked by being a constant passage of pilgrims.

It is located at an altitude of 1,300 metres, between the Caurel and Ancares mountain ranges. The "pallozas", the typical pre-Romanesque dwellings of the area, have been restored to give us an idea of what life was like in those times. Thanks to the fact that the family shared space with the stable and the hayloft, they were able to survive the harsh winters in the area.
In addition, at the entrance to the village you can visit the House Museum.

We also find in the village the Sanctuary where it is said that the miracle of the Holy Grail took place when a villager came to hear mass in spite of the heavy snow that was falling. Seeing him freezing to death, a friar asked him contemptuously how, despite the storm, he came to church just to see a little bread and a little wine in his hands. According to legend, during the Consecration the wine took on the appearance of blood, and the bread of flesh, at the same time as the image of the Virgin prostrated herself on her knees in reverence to the body and blood of Christ. The news of the miracle reached the ears of the Catholic Monarchs, who visited the Sanctuary and gave the monks a reliquary in which the flesh and blood are supposedly still preserved and which can be seen in the chapel of the Holy Miracle. This chalice is one of the symbols of Galicia and appears in the logo of the Xunta.

O CEBREIRO is the beginning of the Way of St. James in Galicia. It is located just over 170 km from the city of the Apostle. O Cebreiro is situated at an altitude of 1300 metres in the Alto de O Cebreiro. Its foundation dates from before the arrival of the Romans, although it is from the beginning of the pilgrimages when O Cebreiro becomes an important enclave of the Camino.

In O Cebreiro we can see some very peculiar constructions: The pallozas.

This Galician town also has an important jewel of pre-Romanesque art dating from the 9th century. The temple of Santa María la Real, the oldest church in Galicia, is the Jacobean route.