Triacastela (Lugo) (0)

Did you know that... Triacastela

It is situated in the region of Sarria in the southeast of the province of Lugo, in the foothills of the eastern Galician mountains, surrounded by small river valleys and fertile meadows guarded by mountains and mountains among which the Sierra de Oribio stands out. The Council of Triacastela is formed by eight parishes that in turn are composed of population nuclei and villages. The village of O Biduedo, which belongs to the parish of Lamas, that of Filloval, which belongs to Santa María de Vilavella, or Pasantes or Ramil which belong to the parish of Triacastela and A Balsa, which belongs to the parish of San Breixo de Balsa, are part of them.

A little more history

Although some historians attribute the foundation of Triacastela to Alfonso IX, what is certain is that it played an important role in the revitalization of what was called Triacastela Nova back in the late 12th century and early 13th century. The number of archaeological remains and forts found in the area speak of ancient settlements. Its own name Triacastela can refer to three castros or three castles? Be that as it may, it is already mentioned in writings from the 10th and 13th centuries about donations to an existing monastery on the slope of Monte Seiro. In 1248 Fernando III the Saint summoned in Triacastela the councils of Galicia. The Catholic Kings first and later their great-grandson King Philip II also visited it. Centuries later, in the nineteenth century, the area suffered the struggles of the War of Independence as well as the Carlists. Today Triacastela is a peaceful village with a marked Jacobean character and an attractive tourist offer.

What to see in Triacastela?

A pleasant stroll through Triacastela takes visitors to discover its Romanesque church dedicated to Santiago and restored in the 18th century, in its four-body tower, built in 1790, the second of which bears the emblem of the town, an engraving with three castles. The old Mesón do Camiño or Mesón del Peregrino, near the church, dates from the 16th century, the House of the Concello, with an inscription of 1528 on the door, the prison in its ground floor conserves two rooms, the House of Ponte which was a smithy or what was the old hospital, which is already spoken of in the times of Alfonso IX and today is known as House of Pedreira. A monument to the pilgrim, where a small image of Santiago on top of a stone monolith bids farewell to the traveller as he leaves the village. But the locality also tells its ancestral history in its forts and archaeological sites, among others Santa Maria, San Adriano, Biduedo, whose name comes from the number of birches "bidueiros" that the area has, or Triacastela, and Eiros Cave where it has found an important archaeological site of the Middle Palaeolithic.

To discover

Their villages also keep small treasures, in Ramil, which is practically attached to Triacastela, a huge chestnut tree of more than eight hundred years is a precious sculptural work carved by nature and time. Biduedo keeps a curious hermitage that, dedicated to San Pedro, is also known as Los Abedules hermitage, in Pasantes the Los Remedios chapel dates from the 18th century and in A Balsa its small chapel is dedicated to San Antonio. In Triacastela you can also enjoy a landscape of great beauty and ecological value.

Festivities

Triacastela celebrates the Virgen del Carmen on July 16 and on August 17 is celebrated San Mamede, San Mamés, with a crowded pilgrimage to the chapel of the same name. On Holy Saturday there is a Crafts Fair in which the artisans of the area exhibit and sell their works.

Traditions

In the village of Filloval, near Triacastela, there is a quarry and the tradition tells that the pilgrims took a stone from it to the lime kiln in Castañeda in order to contribute to the material needs of the construction of the cathedral of Santiago.

Curiosities

In the excavations carried out in the Eiros Cave, engravings and paintings have been discovered that have aroused great interest as it is the first sample of Palaeolithic cave art found in the northwest of the Peninsula.

The Legend

Legend has it that the hermitage of San Mamede was erected in the place it occupies in homage to the miracle that happened here to some shepherds, who in their wandering around the area found that some enormous trunks hindered their passage and decided to clear it by throwing them down the slope, but what was not their surprise when the next day they met them again in the same place, a fact that for the locals was considered miraculous and the place blessed.