| STAGE 7. PONFERRADA - VILLAFRANCA DEL BIERZO |
We cross the Sil River, and take the Paseo Huertas del Sacramento on the right. We will then arrive to Compostilla, which today is a neighborhood of Ponferrada. We will find that we can no longer continue on to Columbrianos. Once out of the town, the Berzian crop fields, favored by the altitude of the plane, will accompany us up until Fuentesnuevas. Here, we can take two roads, one on the right, passing by the San Blas and San Roque Hermitages, or the other on the left, which passes by buildings and fields.
We will then arrive to the town of Camponaraya. Upon exiting, we will cross the A6 highway, and now amongst poplars and vineyards, we will walk to Cacabelos. We will enter on the street of pilgrims, which will also lead us out of the town after crossing the Cúa. We will exit on the road to Pieros. Once we have crossed the Valtuille stream, we will take the "Virgin’s" road, which will carry us to the end of this stage.
Columbrianos
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Here, there was a Roman fortress, and there are still remains of its road. Its present name is an allusion to a repopulation of people from Coimbra. Its parish church has a Baroque altarpiece. Following the road, we’ll find the two San Blas and San Roque hermitages.
Fuentes Nuevas
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Here is an archaeological site from medieval times. It was a necropolis related to a religious building which has now disappeared.
Camponaraya
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It had two lodges: one of them, Soledad, had a church; the current one, dedicated to San Ildefonso, is modern.
Cacabelos
Services: Pilgrim information, cash machine, pharmacy, repair workshop, overseas assistance, 24-hour medical assistance (987 54 92 62), bakery, bar-restaurant, Internet.
It belonged to the Santiago church and the diocese until 1890. Diego Gelmírez repopulated it after its destruction in an earthquake and consecrated its church as the church of Saint Mary. Her head placard is Romanic and is the same style as the virgin in the façade. It’s worthwhile to make a visit to the archaeological museum, which exhibits remains from the Roman Ventsoa and Edrada forts. Leaving the town, we can find the Fifth Anguish sanctuary. It has an interesting scene in which the baby Jesus plays cards with Saint Antonio de Padua. In the exchange of cards, the saint symbolically gets rid of material things (four of cups) and takes the child (five of gold), which signifies spiritual value. The regulatory board of Bierzo wines also has its headquarters in Cacabelos.
Pieros
Services: bar-restaurant.
On a headstone, we can read the consecration of the church to Saint Martin of Tours by Bishop Osmondo, the same bishop that commanded the construction of ?Pons Ferrata?, the bridge over the Sil. We go down the hill, going to the right towards the Bergidum fort ruins, which gives the region its name, as Bierzo is a derivative of this name.
Villafranca del Bierzo
Services: Pilgrim information, cash machine, pharmacy, repair workshop, overseas assistance, 24-hour medical assistance (987 54 25 10), bakery, bar-restaurant, Internet.
This name comes from the French occupation in the 11th century. Later, the occupation was strengthened upon the establishment of a priory, which was a dependent of Cluny. It was Alfonso IX that gave it its code of laws. We have a 15th century castle from when the town passed to the nobility. It reached its height during the Baroque period. |
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