This morning we head out from the town of Melide to Arzúa. Melide houses Galicia’s oldest cruceiro, dating to the 14th century and still intact! Melide’s best-known monument is the church of Sancti Spiritus, better known as la iglesia (the church) by the locals. Tradition holds that Saint Francis of Assisi founded the church while en route back from Santiago, when it was a part of a much larger convent complex.
Along the Way we come across what used to be an important pilgrim stop, Sanctus Iacobus de Boento which Aymeric Picaurd mentions in his Códex Calixtinus. However, nothing remains of the church today. In its place sits a quaint, renovated 19th-century church that honors an iconic Santiago pilgrim at its altar. After walking across rolling hills and past thamlets,lets we stop for a picnic to rest our legs and enjoy the beautiful surroundings.
Before we finish walking for the day we cross the last Medieval/Roman bridge on the Camino to Ribadiso da Baixo. The view across the river Iso is stunning in its serenity and peacefulness and is definitely one of the favorite places for today’s pilgrims on the Camino.
Our day comes to a close as we arrive in Arzúa. Though the town may date back to Roman times, it is because of the Camino that Arzúa is put on the map in the 11th century when pilgrims were attended to at the hospice in Ribadiso da Baixo.
As we plan for the day ahead, we enjoy local food and wine and hopefully learn more about the fellow pilgrims on our journey. At our evening meeting our knowledgeable Fresco Tours guides will prepare us for the terrain tomorrow, explaining the map, where we will stop, and what to look for on the path. Finally, we return to bed at our Galician manor home to rest for tomorrow’s walk!
