What to see in Corcubión

Corcubion, land of calm and bravery

Cultural Heritage

Archaeological heritage

Castro de Quenxe

LOCATION: Lugar de Oliveira, on the Quenxe mountain.

CHRONOLOGY: 1st or 2nd century B.C.

This site has two enclosures with a small croa protected on its perimeter by a parapet and surrounded by another line of defence (croa is the upper enclosure).

The enclosure is unexcavated, as it is occupied by terraces with farmland.

Its location allowed the control of the Corcubión estuary, a large part of the Cee valley and a large part of the coast up to Cape Fisterra.

Architectural heritage

CHURCHES

San Marcos’ Church

LOCATION: Plaza Párroco Francisco Sánchez.

CHRONOLOGY: 1st or 2nd century B.C.

  • Main chapel: 14th century.
  • Nave and vault: second quarter of the 15th century
  • Transept and sacristy chapels: first third of the 18th century
  • Second sacristy, baptistery and façade: last quarter of the 19th century

STYLE: marine gothic, except for the chapels and the transept, which are baroque, and the façade, which is neo-gothic.

AUTHORS: Only the author of the neo-Gothic façade is known: Domingo Rodríguez Sesmero.

ARCHITECTURAL STRUCTURE: The church is organised on a rectangular hall plan with a single nave and a rectangular main chapel. The nave is divided into four sections by three pointed arches with edges. The arches are supported by semi-columns finished off with capitals decorated with schematically carved leaves. The nave has a wooden gabled roof. The main chapel is covered with a dome vault (of Byzantine influence) that runs over diagonal ribs turned upside down on columns.

San Marcos’ Church has been declared an Asset of Cultural Interest. It preserves Romanesque remains of a previous temple in the main chapel, as well as in its corbels. Most of the construction belongs to the Gothic period and was built in several stages from the beginning of the 14th century. At the beginning of the 18th century the chapels of the transept were built. The one on the Epistle side was dedicated to Nuestra Señora del Socorro and the Souls. It was founded by Phelipe de Pazos and his wife Lucía Freire de Andrade. The one on the Gospel side is dedicated to Nuestra Señora del Carmen and was founded by Francisco de Navas y Espínola in 1715, as the inscription on the thread of the entrance arch indicates.

This church went through several disasters and the first one was caused by the Napoleonic troops' attack on Corcubión during the War of Independence in 1809. In this attack they razed the town and the church was not got out of that, setting fire to its entire interior. Due to the poor economic situation at that time, repairs could not be made until 1811. Later, in 1833, the church tower was affected by a hurricane, which knocked the church tower down to the bell and part of the rostrum. Then, in 1969, a lightning struck the tower, which also damaged it. But the worst thing happened on the 19th of March 1885, St Joseph's Day. During the Mass, another lightning bolt hit the upper central part of the tower, causing it to fall on the façade and the roof of the church, destroying part of the façade, the southern wall and the top of the main altar, also caving in the first section of the nave and breaking all the glass and bells.

The parish church of Corcubión is presided over by the impressive image of San Marcos da Cadeira, a Gothic carving from the Venetian school that can be dated to the second half of the 15th century.

Pilar’s Chapel

LOCATION: Rúa Antonio Porrúa, 5.

CHRONOLOGY: 1931.

STYLE: Eclectic.

LEGAL SITUATION: property of the Corcubión Town Hall.

This chapel has a rectangular floor plan, with a single nave and a small sacristy behind the presbytery space. At the foot it has a small wooden tribune. The nave is covered with a semicircular vault reinforced with fajon arches that rest on giant pilasters made of concrete.

It was ordered to be built by Pilar Hermida Orbea as an annex to the "Asilo de Ancianos Pobres Desamparados" (retirement home), built in 1925 in memory of her husband with the funds that the Riestra Figueroa family had left to him for that purpose. This charitable foundation continued to be active until the middle of the eighties, when it only had four people sheltered, due to the precarious hygienic and security situation of the facilities.

In the chapel rest the remains of Emilio Alonso and his relatives, Ana, Joaquina and Laureano Riestra, as well as those of the founder herself, as recalled by a commemorative plaque located on one of the sides of the presbytery.

In 1989 the building was restored by the town council to become the Municipal Auditorium, although the subsequent construction of the Casa de la Cultura relegated the Pilar’s Chapel to this function. It is currently used for cultural activities by the residents of Corcubión.

San Antonio’s Chapel

LOCATION: Campo de San Antonio, 2.

CHRONOLOGY: built in 1684 and rebuilt several times. It was built by Domingo Durán.

STYLE: Baroque.

LEGAL SITUATION: property of the Archbishop of Santiago de Compostela.

It is a small rectangular temple with a small main chapel that occupies its entirety and has a wooden gabled roof with tiles. The chapel was rebuilt in 1997 after being destroyed by a fire and being in a ruinous state for many years. It had a baroque altarpiece of which only the image of San Antonio de Padua is preserved. This statue, which dates back to the 17th century, represents a very young saint, dressed in the Franciscan habit and with the usual tributes of the lily and the book. The temple is located in a small square (campo de San Antonio), where a stone cross from the 18th century stands out.

San Pedro de Redonda’s Church

LOCATION: Redonda.

CHRONOLOGY: beginning of the 13th century.

STYLE: Romanesque.

LEGAL SITUATION: property of the Archbishop of Santiago de Compostela.

San Pedro’s Church is a small temple of great artistic value. It has a unique nave and chapel, both with a rectangular floor plan. Next to the presbytery is the sacristy, which is small and rectangular in shape, and less tall than the rest of the nave. Its masonry facing is a variation on the stonework of the rest of the temple.

The following are some of the highlights:

- The façade, which has a pentagonal pattern and a semicircular arch supported by the wall. The access door has the symbols of San Pedro on each leaf: the keys and the staff.

- The exterior decoration, with plant motifs. The single-body belfry with two semi-circular arches on pillars, a pediment, two pyramidal acroters and a cross stand out.

- At the head of the apse, there is a window that ends in a semicircular arch and rests on a small curved column of which only the left side has been preserved.

- The interior decoration, with altarpieces with statues. There are also several carvings, such as the one of San Pedro (a small Gothic carving of about 40cm), Virgen de las Mercedes, Virgen del Carmen, a carving of San Juan Bautista and Virgen del Rosario.

In the main Chapel there are remains of pictorial decoration on the vault and on the east wall. A series of plant motifs are drawn on a yellow ochre background: interlacing, fleurons, etc. In the upper part of the vault there is a solar disk with a human face; a series of rays emanate from it and it is surrounded by stars and dots that represent the celestial vault. On the canvas of the wall that flanks San Pedro statue, remains of the representation of clothing can still be seen, so the apse would also have a figurative decoration.

The field where the church is located is in a very beautiful place and includes, besides the temple, the cemetery and a stone cross.

PAZOS, MANOR HOUSES AND OTHER BUILDINGS OF INTEREST

Pazo is a big, old house where an important person or a noble family lived. It is similar to what in Britain is known as a Manor House, where nobles and lords used to live.

Pazo of the Counts of Altamira

LOCATION: Rúa de San Marcos.

CHRONOLOGY: 15th century, with reforms in the 17th and 18th centuries

LEGAL SITUATION: private property in use.

The establishment of the capital of the jurisdiction in Corcubión in 1430 by the Counts of Altamira made it necessary to build a representative building to house, in addition to the residential one, other functions, such as the court room of the village.

This Manor House is a construction from the 15th century but altered with successive reforms in the 17th and 18th centuries.

The reinforcement of the defensive system was one of the main objectives, since, due to its proximity to the sea, the threat of an attack was always close, as when in 1457 the Archbishop Rodrigo de Luna’s troops disembarked in the port of Corcubión and attacked Moscoso’s troops. To improve security some towers were built, but they were demolished during the remodelling at the beginning of the 18th century. This pazo also housed the residence of the merino (the judge who ruled over the jurisdiction of Corcubión), with rooms reserved for the Count's residence. This building formed a unit with the annexed dwelling.

Pazo of Antonio de Leira y Castro (known as Pazo of the Counts of Traba)

LOCATION: Rúa Carrera Fábregas, 27

LEGAL SITUATION: private property in use.

It is said that this pazo belonged to the Counts of Traba, lords of Corcubión in the early Middle Ages, in an era prior to the Counts of Altamira. But it is more accurate to call it Pazo of Antonio de Leira y Castro, as he was who bought the land where this building is located today to build his pazo on it, so the building we see today would be a rehabilitation of the old Leira’s pazo.

As Jano Lamas explains in his publications about Antonio de Leira y Castro, this man had several occupations. Between 1773 and 1787 he stood out as an important businessman, which is why he also held important posts: he was appointed vice-consul of England in the port of Corcubión; then he was mayor of this town and, later, factor with competences up to the port of Muros and Camariñas (a factor was a person who depended on the commissary of war or on the supplier, who was in charge of distributing food to the troops). On the other hand, in 1800, King Carlos IV granted him a letter of marque, coinciding in this activity with Angel Escaja Bueno and Pedro Lastres from Corcubión, and with Meréns, José Sánchez and Pedro Díaz Porrúa from Cee. Thanks to them, Corcubión became an important port in the bidding for ships and goods from enemy fleets. In addition, Leira also formed part of the Corcubión Defence Board during the war against the French in 1809.

In order to be a factor, he had to be a distinguished person or nobleman, with a considerable wealth and his own house. And Antonio de Leira y Castro fulfilled all these requirements (he was a nobleman, vice-consul, mayor and businessman). He precisely fulfilled the requirement of owning a house when he bought a plot of land in the village from D. Vicente de Osorio y de Moscoso, Marquis of Astorga and Count of Altamira, where he built his pazo in 1771, a date that could be read on the lintel of the main door (now erased by a restoration work). This pazo is none other than the one known as Pazo de los Condes de Traba, hence it is more correct to call it Pazo of Antonio de Leira y Castro.

The floor plan of this pazo is L-shaped, with two floors and a walled courtyard. The main façade has three entrances at street level and another one goes up to the first floor, through a stone staircase with a solid stone parapet that ends in a bare patín (patín, in Galician, means a small terrace where the exterior staircase of a house ends). Part of this stone frontage is taped in white, a characteristic of the seafaring tradition. The robust stone chimney is also noteworthy, currently finished off with a tile roof. The front is presided over by a coat of arms of four very blurred quarters. Although they cannot be distinguished, the upper left quarter had the mark of the Leira family and the upper right quarter the one of the Castro family.

During the French invasion of 1809, this pazo, like the rest of Corcubión, was sacked and burned. As Antonio de Leira y Castro was part of the Corcubión Defence Board, he fled to Vigo with his family after the second attack by Napoleon's troops, as the enemies were looking for him. He only returned to Corcubión to sell the ruins of his pazo which, from then on, would be divided into two independent houses.

This information can be consulted and extended in the articles published by Jano Lamas on the following links:

- Un vicecónsul de Inglaterra que sería alcalde de Corcubión: https://www.lavozdegalicia.es/noticia/carballo/Corcubión/2015/08/05/viceconsul-inglaterra-seria-alcalde-Corcubión/0003_201508C5C11991.htm

- Pazo de Antonio Leira e Castro: https://www.quepasanacosta.gal/opinion/author/pazo-de-antonio-leira-e-castro/20110103072713099095.html

Pazo of the Lamas Family (Lamas Manor)

LOCATION: Plaza Párroco Francisco Sánchez, 2

LEGAL SITUATION: private property in use.

This pazo, known as Casa del Patín, was built in the 16th century. The north and east façades of the building have been preserved without any great architectural variations. The southern wall is very much transformed and a large estate that bordered the place called Campo da Viña ran along it, and to the west another estate related to the royal salt warehouses of Corcubión. The primitive patín-shaped staircase of this house stands out, giving access to the first floor and the stone balcony (patín, in Galician, means a small terrace where the exterior staircase of a house ends).

Documents published by the researcher Paulino Castiñeira Castro in his book Estudio, Historia de Corcubión, Año 1572-1630, describe the house with the orchard, which makes it identified as the one that Diego de Lamas y Sotomayor, a nobleman of the lineage who founded his ancestor Álvaro Núñez de Lamas on the entiled state of Zas and Brandomil

More information about this pazo can be found in the article written by Alejandro Lamas Costa entitled La evolución de la Casa do Patín, published on 30th of September 2007 in the regional newspaper La Voz de Galicia.

Obregón’s House

LOCATION: Rúa das Mercedes

LEGAL SITUATION: private property in use.

This pazo was built in 1783. It has an irregular floor plan arranged on two levels. It has two entrances, both located at the street level; the side entrance is under a small terrace. The main door has a moulded arch with volutes, flanked by classical pilasters that lost their capitals due to the reforms that altered the composition of this façade. Above the door there is a contoured coat of arms in Rococo style and crested by a helmet turned to the right.

José Sendón’s House

LOCATION: Plaza Médico Ramón Carrera

LEGAL SITUATION: private property in use.

This is an example of a manor house between party walls, organized in two heights, with a gabled roof. The main façade is of great simplicity, with a central axis marked by the entrance door. Above it there is a coat of arms, crowned by a helmet turned to the right, with four quarters, in which the snakes of the Pazo family, scribes of the Counts of Altamira for several generations, can be seen facing each other.

Miñones’ House

LOCATION: Praza de Castelao, 12

CHRONOLOGY: 1899

LEGAL SITUATION: private property in use.

This building is one of the most unique in Corcubión.

Owned by local banker Manuel Miñones Barros, this house was renovated between 1899 and 1902.

The house maintains a classic composition of gallery architecture with a low body with two openings that become balconies on the first floor and a gallery on the last floor. The construction has a rectangular floor plan with the side façade being longer than the main one, and it is arranged on three levels in addition to the low roof which is fitted out as an attic.

“The Pirate’s House"

LOCATION: Praza de Castelao, 14

CHRONOLOGY: 17th century

LEGAL SITUATION: private property in use.

This is another of Corcubión's unique buildings. On its façade there is a coat of arms with six quarters on which the wolf's head of the Moscoso family (fourth quarter), the chessboard of the Bermúdez family (fifth quarter) and the six roeles of the Castro family (sixth quarter) can be identified (a roel is a round piece of a coat of arms, like a circle).

This house is also known as "La Casa del Pirata" (The Pirate's House), because in the 19th century the brave captain José Agramunt y Figueroa lived there. He was born in Corcubión on the 24th of February 1833, although his family was from Valencia. One of his ancestors was a well-known corsair settled in Fisterra. José Agramunt, like many of his ancestors, studied in the field of offshore navigation until he obtained the title of pilot and, later, of shipowner. In his time this man was famous for the fact that happened the night of December 26th, 1876, on board of his brigantine Liberto while sailing between Cape Gata and Roquetas (both in Almería – Andalucía), after taking a load of salt in Torrevieja (Alicante – Comunidad Valenciana) with destination to a Cantabrian port. That night, the crew under his command mutinied.

The intention of the crew was to kill the captain to get hold of the load of salt. They took advantage of the night, while he was sleeping, to enter his chambers and shoot two shots into his head. But they did not manage to end his life: the captain got up and went after them, receiving an axe blow in the back and another shot that would not finish him off either. The captain was able, in his severe condition, to round up the mutineers and lock them in the bow ranch and put the boatswain under his command. He ordered the boatswain to sail to Almería’s port, where they arrived on the morning of the 27th of December. He managed to hand over the crew members to the authorities and he was taken to hospital, where he died a few days later, on the 5th of January 1877.

One of the five crew members died as a result of a shot received by mistake on board. The rest of the mutineers spent a few days in the prison in Almería’s port and were then transferred to La Carraca prison in San Fernando (Cádiz). During the course of the trial, the boatswain died of natural causes, leaving only three crew members to judge. During the court martial that took place in San Fernando on the 28th of January 1878, two of them were sentenced to life imprisonment and the other to 14 years in prison. But the authorities appealed against this sentence and, finally, the three crew members were sentenced to death and, in addition, to pay 5000 pesetas to the captain's mother. In order to fulfil the death sentence, the crew were transferred back to Almeria’s port, where the execution was carried out on the 25th of October 1878.

All these facts can be reviewed in detail at the following link: https://www.baixamar.com/998-bravo-piloto-capitan-jose-agramunt-motin-liberto.htm

Pazo of the Dios y Pose Family (Dios y Pose Manor)

LOCATION: Antonio Porrúa, 3

LEGAL SITUATION: private property in use.

Emblazoned house between party walls, arranged on two rectangular levels. In each of them there are a couple of windows.

The façade features a balcony on the first level with two openings, following a regular rhythm in the distribution of the openings.

 

On the top floor there is a coat of arms that almost occupies the space. This pazo is one of the best examples of emblazoned house with a coat of arms in Corcubión.

 

Castreje’s House

LOCATION: Rúa Antonio Porrúa

LEGAL SITUATION: private property in use.

Emblazoned building between party walls arranged on three levels. It has a rectangular floor plan.

The façade has a central axis marked by the door and continuing on the first floor with a small balcony supported by a granite slab with a fine iron railing. On the top floor, a beautiful gallery covers the front side to side.

It has a beautiful coat of arms with four quarters. It is to be regretted that it is mutilated at the top.

Old Judicial District Goal

LOCATION: Corcubión’s port

CHRONOLOGY: 1858

STYLE: Eclectic.

AUTHOR: Faustino Domínguez Domínguez.

LEGAL SITUATION: property of the Corcubión Town Hall.

The prison premises were initially located in the basement of some building, with precarious sanitary conditions due to prisoner overcrowding. Faced with this situation, the mayors of the judicial area agreed to build a specific prison area which would also include the courthouse and the town hall.

The project was commissioned to the provincial architect Faustino Domínguez Domínguez, and the construction was carried out between 1854 and 1858. It is organised as a trapezoid-shaped volume around a central courtyard. In the inner courtyard there was a small chapel, an infirmary and the cells. On the outside, the central door stands out, with a semicircular arch on a cushioned ashlar arch. It is completed with a pair of buttresses of the load-bearing walls as doric pilasters. In 1996, this building was restored was restored to become what is now the tourist information office and an exhibition centre.

Old Judicial District Court

LOCATION: Rúa Pepe Miñones, 12

STYLE: Modernist.

LEGAL SITUATION: private property, uninhabited.

This is the building that housed the old courthouse of Corcubión.

It is currently a two-tiered house. The main façade has two parts, in the lower one there are two doors with a semicircular arch. On the first floor there are two balconies.

On the side façade there are four openings, with a balcony on the first floor and a small gallery.

At the back, two large pilasters frame the façade.

Old Fishermen’s Guild Building

LOCATION: Rúa Perigos.

CHRONOLOGY: 18th century.

LEGAL SITUATION: private property in use

OTHER NAMES: Casa de la Balconada (House of the balcony)

This building, which was ordered to be built by the corsair Ángel Escaja Bueno, has a rectangular floor plan with two areas differentiated by the two entrances: one door gives access to the house and the other could have been, in origin, the entrance to the courts. In order to overcome the existing difference in level with Rúa Perigos, the building is raised on a stone podium.

On the first floor there is a stone balcony supported by granite corbels, which rest on four pillars, also made of granite. The balusters, with a delicate carving, refer to the world of Baroque in Santiago de Compostela. The rigging used is of exposed masonry and the roof is gabled with country tiles.

José Carrera Building

LOCATION: Plaza José Carrera, 1

 

CHRONOLOGY: 1924

 

STYLE: Eclectic.

 

AUTHOR: Eduardo Rodríguez Losada y Rebellón

 

LEGAL SITUATION: property of the Corcubión Town Hall.

 

This building was born from the desire of the philanthropist José Carrera Fábregas to create a teaching centre in his hometown. It was originally built to serve as a Practical School of Arts and Crafts, so it follows the typology of the school institutions of the time. It has a central square body that connects the two symmetrically arranged wings where the classrooms were arranged. The chapel, which was in the centre of the façade, was the element that marked the division of the space. In 1967, the building was remodelled and extended, and another one was added in 2001, leaving the building as we see it today. This building currently houses the Corcubión Town Hall building and other public facilities.

Bourgeois Buildings

LOCATION: Avenida da Constitución

STYLE: Modernist.

LEGAL SITUATION: private properties in use.

On the Corcubión promenade there are several interesting buildings.

At number 12 we have a modernist building made up of a rectangular floor plan on three levels while maintaining a classical composition on the façade. The wall is covered with white and green tiles, just like in the house of the Old Court.

Also, a group of houses with beautiful galleries and patios facing the sea can be found along the promenade. Several of these patios have gardens, dressing up Corcubión colourfully almost all year round.

Cardenal’s Castle

LOCATION: Punta Pion.

CHRONOLOGY: second half of the 18th century.

AUTHOR: La Ferriere.

LEGAL SITUATION: private property in use.

The strategic location of Corcubión’s port as a place of refuge from the rough waters of the Costa da Morte made it a compulsory stop for expeditions heading either towards Northern Europe or the Mediterranean. On many occasions, this anchorage in the estuary was used to make incursions of plundering and destruction in the seafaring towns and inland territories of the region.

For this reason, from the middle of the 17th century, the need to build fortifications in this estuary was considered. The first defensive plan for the area included the following constructions:

  • Príncipe’s Castle, in Ameixenda (Cee)
  • San Carlos’ Castle, in Fisterra.
  • Soberano’s Castle, in Camariñas (now disappeared).
  • Cardenal’s Castle, in Corcubión.

The Cardenal’s Castle was paired with the Príncipe’s Castle, located practically opposite it, allowing the estuary to be defended by crossfire. Legend has it that a chain linked both fortifications and, by stretching it, enemy ships were prevented from entering, allowing the estuary to be closed off.

It was equipped with twelve cannons and the corresponding offices, which could house up to ninety men.

Cape Cee Lighthouse

LOCATION: Cape Cee 43° 55' lat. N. E 9° 11' long. O.

CHRONOLOGY: 1860

LEGAL SITUATION: it depends on the Port Authority of A Coruña.

GROUND HEIGHT TO LIGHT: 7m

HEIGHT OF LIGHT OVER THE SEA: 25m

LIGHT RANGE: 7 miles (13km)

DISTINCTIVE CHARACTERISTICS: 3 white beams every 6 seconds

In 1847, the Lighthouse Commission decided to place a lighting point to facilitate the entry into the Corcubión estuary. The place chosen was Cape Cee. It was recommended that a small red fixed light and buoys or beacons were placed in the Carrumeiro Chico and the surrounding area. This lighthouse, of 5th order, was designated with the name of Fanal de Corcubión. In 1858, the works were put up for auction and, in the absence of bidders, the Administration took it over.

It was lit on the 31st of July 1860, with a white fixed light and a range of 8 miles in ordinary time; its focal plane was about 7 metres from the ground and 2 metres above the sea, and it also had a retro-reflector and a piston lamp for olive oil. In 1880 a single-wick oil lamp was installed.

In 1911, a set of rotating screens powered by a clock-making machine was fitted to their optical apparatus.

In 1934 it was automated, replacing the lamp with a bare flame installation with AGA scintillator. With these reforms to new appearance it would be in groups of three white beams every 6 seconds.

It is a square building with a hipped roof, raised on a stone platform protected by a small stone wall on the side facing the cliff. Attached to the south wall is a tower with a pyramid-shaped trunk and octagonal section, topped by a small balcony and a lantern without a glass dome.

Lobeira Grande Island Lightouse

LOCATION: Lobeira Grande Island 42° 52' 55'' lat. N. e 9° 11' long. O.

CHRONOLOGY: 1906

AUTHOR: Salvador López Miño

LEGAL SITUATION: it depends on the Port Authority of A Coruña.

GROUND HEIGHT TO LIGHT: 7,78m

HEIGHT OF THE LIGHT ON THE SEA: 15,78m

LIGHT RANGE: 11 miles (20km)

DISTINCTIVE CHARACTERISTICS: appearance of a group of 2 white beams every 14 seconds

In August 1904, the General Directorate of Public Works commissioned a study for the construction of the following facilities in Lobeira Grande:

  • A building to house two lighthouse keepers.
  • The base of the tower.
  • Cleaning of reefs at the most accessible entrance of one of the three channels giving access to the small inlet near the site of the lighthouse.
  • Construction of a wharf.
  • Service road to link the pier with the tower house.

The project was carried out by the engineer Salvador López Miño who finished it on the 18th of February, 1905. On the 19th of October 1905, a second project was commissioned in which the metal tower was replaced by an ashlar tower. López Miño completed the drafting of this project on the 4th of May 1906. It consists of two houses, rooms linked to the operation of the lighthouse, and two exterior cisterns. The tower has a pyramid-shaped trunk. The height of its light is about 16 metres above sea level, with a range of 11 miles. It was inaugurated on the 15th of September 1909 with a 4th order device of 250mm focal length. It had a two-wick constant level lamp, which in foggy weather was helped by a petroleum vapour incandescent lamp. Since 1924, the lighthouse has been uninhabited, as an acetylene installation with an AGA scintillator and solar valve was put into operation to replace the lighthouse keeper. The appearance of the beam group changed every 15 seconds, with an average range of 11 miles.

Carromeiro Chico Lighthouse

TYPE: Signal beacon

SITUATION: 42° 54' 28'' Lat. N e 9° 10' 45'' long. O.

AUTHOR: Salvador López Miño

LEGAL SITUATION: it depends on the Port Authority of A Coruña.

GROUND HEIGHT TO LIGHT: 7,78m

HEIGHT OF THE LIGHT ON THE SEA: 15,78m

LIGHT RANGE: 11 miles (20km)

DISTINCTIVE CHARACTERISTICS: appearance of a group of 2 white beams every 14 seconds

The entrance to Corcubión’s port, as an important commercial enclave and as a place of refuge for ships in case of a storm, was complicated by the presence, on the one hand, of the Lobeira Islands and, on the other, by the shallows of the Carromeiro Grande and Carromeiro Chico, which was the reason for many shipwrecks. The first beacon in this low area was a bell buoy installed in 1863. Since one of the dangers of this place was fog, it was decided to install this type of buoy that is capable of emitting an acoustic signal to alert sailors. But the breakwaters formed in the bass with the storms made it disappear.

In 1900, the businessman and politician Plácido Castro Rivas, asked the Ministry of Public Works to re-signal the lower part of the Carromeiro Chico due to the increase in the number of steam boats entering the estuary to get their coal supplies from its floating tanks. The Ministry, after carrying out the corresponding studies, opted to signpost the area with a metal tripod. This was a structure made up of circular pieces of solid steel, supported by rapid-setting concrete cubes, embedded through holes in the rock, in the shape of a tripod at a height of 10 metres, crowned by a platform on which a sphere was installed. This was 11.6 metres above sea level and was visible in clear weather at a distance of 11.35 miles. Its installation was completed on the 1st of September 1903, but a few days later, due to a strong wind and sea storm, it was demolished. On the 28th of February 1904, a red painted barrel was installed to temporarily replace the tripod, but it also disappeared from the site on the 14th of April of the same year. Later, in 1907, a conical buoy was anchored in 23.3 metres of water to provisionally mark the Carromeiro Chico. This remained until the construction of the definitive beacon, suffering the consequences of the storms, which swept it several times from its location and it was anchored again.

Finally, after all the attempts to signpost the Carromeiro Chico, the idea was to build a beacon capable of withstanding the onslaught of the strong storms in the area. The project for its construction was drawn up by the engineer Salvador López Miño, consisting of a solid conical tower of hydraulic concrete covered with ashlar, 10 metres high, crowned by a circle of 5.58 metres in diameter, on which the lighting would be placed. The project for the installation of the light was drawn up by the engineer Rafael de la Cerda. The first body of the beacon was completed on the 12nd of January 1916 and the second one on 24th of October of the same year. It was not until the 11st of November 1917 that the light was put into operation. This point is also known as "The Greek Ship Cemetery", as there were numerous shipwrecks in its surroundings, being some of them the Greek steamers Manoussis (1920), Constantinos Pateras (1922) and Mount Parnes (1935).

Ethnological heritage

BARNS

The barns (hórreos in Spanish) are, together with the mills, the most important functional constructions related to the traditional economy based on the cultivation of grain. Their most remote origin would be in the systems used by the the castro villages to keep the grain dry and isolated from the humidity of the soil: baskets hung or raised on feet. The first documentary references are from the Roman period (Vituvio or Pliny the Elder) and in Varron's writings (1st century BC) they are described in a similar way to the present day.

As a place where the fruits of the whole year work are kept, great attention is paid to the quality of the materials and their location, to guarantee good aeration of the grain.

The barn is a faithful reflection of its owner's economic situation; its capacity is measured by the number of feet. It can be a single or shared property; in the latter case, several doors are open to it.

In Corcubión the barn of Fisterra’s type predominates, although sometimes it is mixed with elements of those that can be found in Noia.

As for the function of these elements there is a wide theorisation about their aesthetic or mythical-religious function. According to the study on the Galician barns of Martínez Rodríguez, the presence of a cross and other religious emblems in the tops of the barns would be one more consequence of the religiosity of the Galician villager who puts the harvest under the protection of his gods to whom he invokes by consecrating the barn with the symbol of the cross or other similar ones.

The presence of masonry barns made entirely of cement in Redonda and A Oliveira should be noted. They are of the type of barn not suspended, but they are supported on a barn of the same dimensions as the chamber.

In Corcubión there are 14 such buildings listed.

MILLS

The first mills date back to the Neolithic period, the so-called "hand mills", consisting of two stones of different sizes. This system evolved into a circular mill formed by two stones, in which the upper one (the "Moa") turns on another, called the “Pie”, by means of the movement made with a stick embedded in it.

The hydraulic mills take advantage of the driving force of the river to grind the grain, presenting two fundamental types:

  • Bruia mill or water mill, with a vertical drive wheel.
  • Rodicio mill, with a horizontal drive wheel. These are the oldest and most numerous, also known as creek mills. This is the type of mill that appears in Corcubión.

Following the course of the Quenxe river there are a total of six small mills.

A number of these buildings are also preserved in Redonda.

DOVECOTES

The dovecote is a construction with a practically ornamental functionality, since the economic profitability of the doves is rather low. It usually appears as an annexed building in pazos, manor houses, monasteries or rectory houses. The oldest references to its existence in Galicia are from the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries (the first known graphic representation appears in the Cantigas de Santa María, by Alfonso X).

They are exempt constructions, in nearby and high places, with dry land, sheltered from the dominant winds and without trees around to prevent the settlement of birds of prey.

In Corcubión there are only a few examples of this architecture, with a total of two in the town centre: one in Campo de San Antonio and another in Agra da Ribeira. They belong to the cylindrical plant typology, with the perimeter walls made of stone masonry, a small access door and a conical roof made of tiles. The upper part of the wall ends in a piece of stone, the sill, over which there are small holes for the entrance of pigeons.

CRUCEIROS (STONE CROSSES)

Cruceiros are stone crosses that are placed in various places, especially in crossroads, church atriums, chapels or even at the access to cemeteries, always in relation to places of worship.

These stone crosses are one of the genuine manifestations of the Galician popular architecture. The cruceiro is a sacred object, and the place where it is located is also a special place. It is not only an aesthetic or ornamental monument, but it is also an object of devotion and respect.

In Corcubión we have a large number of cruceiros that can be admired by walking through the streets of the town and the municipal territory.

San Marcos’ Stone Cross

LOCATION: Atrium of San Marcos’ Church.

The platform is currently buried. The pedestal has an octagonal shape representing skulls and crossed tibias symbolising the Original Sin from which humanity is redeemed by the sacrifice of Christ's Passion. The pole, which is circular in cross-section, is decorated with grooves; the pedestal is quadrangular and framed. The capital, which is cylindrical in section, has a smooth circular astragal, an abacus with straight sides and a crown of scrolls and flowers.

The Cross, quadrangular in section, has arms with scotia and flowered tops. On the obverse side, Christ Crucified is represented with three nails, with his head leaning to the right. His open hands show the nails of the Passion. The head is girded with a crown of thorns. The purity handkerchief is tied to the right. –The cross is crowned with a cartouche with the inscription INRI ("Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews").

On the back, the theme of the Pieta, in a rhomboid composition, is sculpted on a base of an angel with wings.

Municipal Cemetery’s Stone Cross

LOCATION: Corcubión Municipal Cemetery

This cross comes from the old cemetery of A Viña, but originally, according to Xoán Miguel Fernández, it was in Campo del Rollo, as it is recorded in 1786. In 1902 it came into the possession of the Town Hall. Its platform is quadrangular with two degrees. The pedestal is quadrangular and smooth and bears the inscription "RENOV IN 1986". The pole, which is circular in section, is decorated with grooves and moulding planes. The capital is of a carved Ionic order with a popular touch.

The cross, quadrangular in section, has arms with chamfers and ends in flowers with a central button. On the obverse side, Christ is represented as crucified with three nails. It is crowned with thorns, with his head leaning to the right and his hands open. The purity handkerchief is held in place by a rope. The cross is topped by the cartouche with the inscription INRI. On the back, Our Lady is depicted in a prayerful attitude with her hands clasped in front of her chest. Her head is girded with a crown and rests on a winged cherub.

Baldomar’s Stone Cross

LOCATION: Rúa Cruceiro de Baldomar.

The platform is quadrangular and consists of four degrees. The pedestal is quadrangular in shape and bears the following inscription: 'THIS CROSS OF / BALDOMAR I SV MR / MARINA GS / YEAR 1700'. It was commissioned to be erected and painted by Domingo de Baldomar, a wealthy sailor, and his wife, Marina González. The pole is decorated with grooves and the capital is of Ionic order.

The Cross, quadrangular in section, has arms with chamfers and a central buttoned flower ending. On the obverse side, Christ is depicted as crucified, with three nails, the crown of thorns and the purity handkerchief tied with string to the right. The cross is topped by the cartouche with the inscription INRI. On the back there is a representation of Our Lady.

On 12nd of January 1909, the upper seat was destroyed and repaired to its current appearance. Depending on the type of crowned, the model of the capital, the Christ's handkerchief and the shape of the angel, Xoán Miguel González attributes its authorship to the same master stonemason or workshop that made the cross located today in the municipal cemetery.

San Antonio’s Stone Cross

LOCATION: Campo de San Antonio.

The platform is quadrangular, with five degrees. The truncated-pyramid-shaped pedestal ends with a moulding plane; it bears a running inscription that is difficult to reproduce as it is very eroded, and we can only clearly read 'YEAR 1719'. The octagonal pole begins with a square shape and has a square face. The capital has an inverted truncated-pyramid shape.

The cross has a quadrangular section, with chamfered arms and a floral crown.

Rúa das Mercedes’ Stone Cross

LOCATION: Rúa das Mercedes.

Its platform is quadrangular and consists of a single grade. The quadrangular-shaped pedestal continues on the pole, also quadrangular, with a smooth shaft.

The capital is made up of two horizontal flat mouldings joined by a scotia. The cross, of slender proportions, has straight arms and lacks any ornamentation.

It replaced the stone cross that was made when this space was fitted out, within a series of interventions carried out between 1968 and 1970 to compete for the "National Tourism Award for the Beautification and Improvement of Spanish Villages 1971". This action consisted of replacing the old garden that was there, paving the little square, with the placement of the stone cross and the restoration of the façades of the buildings that bordered this space.

San Pedro de Redonda’s Stone Cross

LOCATION: Atrium of San Pedro de Redonda’s Church.

It is built on a five-degree square platform. The pedestal, also quadrangular, ends in chamfers. The octagonal shaft ends in a cylindrical capital composed of a smooth circular astragal, an abacus with curved sides and bevelled corners. The capital is decorated with scrolls and leaves with lobed edges.

The cross, quadrangular in section, has chamfered arms and a floral end with a central button on the top. On the obverse side, Christ is crucified with three nails, with a crown of thorns, leaning his head to the right and with his fingers closed, although the nails in his hands are visible and the purity handkerchief is tied to the left. On the back, Our Lady is depicted in an attitude of seclusion with her hands in front of her chest and crowned. She stands on the base of a winged angel with the moon under her feet.

On the base there is an inscription "ES E LO HISO / IVº DE MN POR / SV DVON ANO / DE 1689". The historian Xoán Miguel González establishes that the person who dedicates is called Juan, but he does not know his surname as he could not contrast it with the sacramental certificates of the parish, as much documentation of this type was destroyed in the incursions of the Napoleonic troops.

San Roque’s Stone Cross

LOCATION: Campo de San Roque.

The platform is quadrangular with three degrees and has no pedestal. The pole is square in section with chamfers at the top decorated with small balls. The capital has a very pure cubic shape.

The cross has a rectangular cross-section. On the obverse, Christ is crucified with three nails. He wears the crucifix nimbus, leaning his head to the right. He wears the purity handkerchief without tying it up. The cross ends in a parchment with the inscription INRI. On the reverse, Our Lady appears with the child, on her lap, crowned on a pedestal. This representation could be, according to X. Miguel Gonzalez, an imitation of Marian iconography of the cross of Santa Maria das Areas, in Fisterra, since the one of San Roque is located in the pilgrimage route to the Fisteran sanctuary.

Its formal and stylistic simplicity leads one to believe that this is the oldest stone cross in Corcubión.

FOUNTAINS AND WASH HOUSES

Public fountains and wash houses in Redonda

On the 30th of September 1906, the town council asked the Provincial Council for a grant to repair the village's public fountain and build three more in the areas of Quenxe, Redonda and Oliveira.

In July 1908, the repair and renovation of the village's public fountain and the construction of a trough were put up for auction, as well as the repair of those in the areas of Redonda, Quenxe and Oliveira with the new construction of a wash house in the vicinity of each of them, in accordance with the project signed by Juan Francisco Yánez, the first neighbourhood road district engineer. After three auctions without any bidders appearing, in April 1909 Carlos Cobas, a master stonemason from Cee, undertakes to take charge of the work of repairing the intake pit, renovating the pipe of the fountain in the village square and building a new drinking trough, as well as repairing the public fountains of Redonda, Quenxe and Oliveira and building a wash house in the vicinity.

The arrangements for the construction of the fountain and the wash house in O Vilar began in July 1951, being completed and ready to be inaugurated in the period between July 1957 and July 1958. 50% of the cost was covered by a D.ation from D. Benigno Lago Estévez.

Also in 1963 the municipality received a subsidy for the construction of a fountain-wash house in A Amarela, which was the only place in the municipality that lacked these services, being completed in 1964.

Fountain in Plaza de Castelao

The first documentary references about the fountain in the square date from the 10th of June 1857, when Francisco López Recamán presented the plan to build a new house in the area of the fountain. It represented a great interest subject to the corporation and the residents since it is the only public fountain in the town that, due to its abundance and superior quality, is frequented day and night, as it was stated in the fountain translation file in 1857.

When the residents were called to examine the current location of the fountain, the majority agreed on the convenience of carrying out this work, so the town council unanimously agreed on the 15th of June 1857 to move the pipe and the village fountain.

In 1891, in view of the decrease of the fountain flow, some small repairs were necessary, in terms of reconstructing its catch basin with a more solid masonry, changing the water-conducting pipe for a galvanised iron one and inserting it with its stone drainage system, and that a sheet of galvanised iron was plated in the water outlet hole in the form of a watering can.

In 1906 a request was made to the Provincial Council for a subsidy to repair the village's public fountain and to build three more in the areas of Quenxe, Redonda and Oliveira. The subsidy was granted the following year to carry out the works, following the project of the engineer Juan Francisco Yánez.

After a series of negative auctions, the master stonemason Carlos Cobas took charge of the work consisting of repairing the intake box, renovating the pipes of the fountain in the square and building a new drinking trough, although the latter was finally removed as it would not satisfy any needs and could end up being a source of infection if used for other purposes, such as washing clothes or fish, for example.

FESTIVITY

San Marcos’ Festivity

San Marcos is the patron saint of Corcubión.

The festivity in his honour is held on the 25th of April, the day his image is taken out in a procession through the streets of the village.

San Pedro de Redonda’s Festivity

The festivity in honour of San Pedro de Redonda is held on the 29th of June. Not far from San Pedro’s Church, the popular pilgrimage takes place, in the Campo de San Roque, a place where the locals gather to eat and spend a day of celebration.

San Pedro’s Recreational Area

This is where the traditional pilgrimage of San Pedro takes place on the 29th of June.

On the other hand, it is the place where the municipal hostel for pilgrims is located, managed by the Galician Association of St James’ Way Friends.

It is a wide field where there are some stone tables and benches and also a small playground.

Carmen’s Festivity

In Corcubión, a historically seafaring town, a mass and a sea procession in honour of Virgen del Carmen are held on the 16th of July. It is said to be one of the oldest sea processions in Galicia.

All the sailors from the estuary arrived there with their boats decorated. During the procession, the sailors carried the Virgin to the port, where she was embarked to make the boat trip along the Corcubión estuary, also doing a blessing of the waters and a floral offering for all the shipwrecked.

Medieval Fair

The Corcubión Medieval Fair is always held during the third weekend of July, provided that it does not coincide with the celebration of the festivity in honour of Virgen del Carmen; in this case it would be held on the following weekend.

During that weekend the village turns into a medieval fair. The villagers take part in this festival wearing period clothes and enjoying all the stalls and food that fill the streets of the historic centre.

If there is a suitable place for such an event, it is Corcubión.

With the constitution of the first European Medieval Kingdom, the Middle Ages began in Galicia. This period was of great importance for our territory, as it is when the elements that today constitute us as a nation began to be defined. In this way, in the Middle Ages our culture achieved a prestige that made the Galician language one of the most important in Europe.

On the other hand, in the Middle Ages Galicia was also the centre of the medieval peninsular kingdoms to such an extent that most of the Galician kings were also called Emperors, which gave them superiority over other peninsular kings. One of these Kings of Galicia who proclaimed himself Emperor was Alfonso VII, who was crowned King of Galicia in 1110 by Gelmírez in the Santiago de Compostela’s Cathedral and who received his education in the Moraime’s Monastery, in Muxía, under D. Pedro Froilaz, Count of Traba. D. Pedro, a person with great influence, represented one of the most important lineages of Galicia with origin in Costa da Morte. He held the title of Count of Galicia since 1109 and was educated at the court of Alfonso VI. This gives us a small sample of what the Galician nobility represented at that time and the strength it had in the medieval context.

In the late Middle Ages, a family descended from the Traba family acquired importance and played a very important role in the village: the Moscoso family, which was granted the title of Counts of Altamira in the last days of King Enrique IV. This family gave Corcubión a strong boost when Rui Sanches de Moscoso, his son Rodrigo de Moscoso and his daughter-in-law Juana de Castro came to settle here in 1430 and established the jurisdictional capital for its defence and also to take advantage of the maritime traffic. At this time it was very important for Corcubión and its port, the most western port in Galicia and an obligatory stopover for ships continuing south or north, especially from the 14th century, a time of great prosperity in its fleet and its frequent commercial relations with Italy and, especially, with the Republic of Venice.

The Counts of Altamira also founded a pilgrims' hospital in Corcubión to attend those pilgrims who came from Santiago de Compostela and went to Fisterra and Muxía to visit the Santo Cristo and the Virxe da Barca Sanctuaries.

This and other information about the Corcubión Medieval Fair can be found at the following link: https://www.mercadomedieval.info/gl

Mercedes’ Festivity

The festivity in honour of Virgen de las Mercedes is held on the 24th of September. It is the last festivity of the year in the town of Corcubión and serves to say goodbye to the summer.

TRADITIONS

Parrandas of Corcubión

The Parrandas were one of the traditions that took place in the past in Corcubión during the months of June and July. The information we know about the parrandas is thanks to the publication of some articles by the school teacher of the town, D. Juan Díaz Fernández, in the Revista Nerio (Nerio’s Magazine), published in Corcubión in 1920. In several articles (numbers 2, 3, 5 and 8) he explained what this peculiar tradition consisted of.

The origin of this tradition is not known with certainty, as after the attacks by Napoleon's troops during the War of Independence in 1809 all the parish, Town Hall and private archives were lost, as the fire in Corcubión caused by the French, as D. Juan Díaz Fernández says "they left no more building standing than a single house to testify to future generations the ignominious perfidy of those who defended Freedom, Law and Justice".

According to the publications of this school teacher, during the years of celebration of this tradition, from the beginning of June until the 25th of July the village of Corcubión was divided into two sides: Río-Seco and Granada; the first covered the northern part of the village and the second the southern end, from a small stream that crosses it. On Sunday evenings and other festivities during this period, the girls of each side would gather together accompanied by the boys who sympathized with one or the other side and would go through the streets with tambourines, castanets and other instruments, addressing each other in often insulting ways.

During the festivities of San Juan and San Pedro this celebration reached its peak. On the eve of these days, all those on each side met in their respective camps: those from Río-Seco in the cruceiro in the San Antonio’s atrium, called "Cabo da Vila"; those from Granada in the cruceiro in Campo del Rollo. When each side was in its corresponding place, "the queen of the foliada" took the chair, who used to be the one who sang the best or distinguished herself by her enthusiasm in the preparation of the festival (foliada means an evening gathering of people to have fun, sing and dance to traditional music). Next to her sat the girls who formed her court of honour, called the “fairies of the festival”, dressed in white with coloured stripes and all wearing their highly decorated tambourines, while those in charge of dancing wore their castanets. The men who belonged to the navy wore the white navy costume.

When everything was ready, the bonfire was lit on each side and the dance began. At midnight, the Granada side left their camp and went out with their supporters through the streets of the town, towards the Río-Seco side, singing songs in ancient Galician and shouting, between song and song, ¡Viva Granada! and ¡Abajo Rioseco! As they reached the enemy's territory, the whole Río-Seco celebration and the songs of the Granada side reached their most intense moment, as while some sang offensive songs, the others responded in the same way, all preparing to throw out their opponents if they dared to cross the limits of the cruceiro.

After this, the Granada side went back to their camp. When they were halfway back to Campo do Rollo, the Río-Seco side would leave their camp and head for the opposite side, singing songs that were usually a response to what their opponents had sung before.

When they arrived at the camp in Granada, the same thing happened as in the camp in Río-Seco: this side followed the same route around the Campo do Rollo cruceiro, because if they crossed the limit between the cruceiro and the bonfire, a fight could take place between the two sides, which in other years had bloodied the streets of Corcubión.

To avoid possible clashes, the mayor used to go with the police officers and with the full force of the Civil Guard post, leading the first of the two sides that used to begin de journey, leaving a couple behind as they passed through Río-Seco, and continuing with the rest until the starting point, where shortly after they were visited by the opposing side they were dissolved by the authorities.

Even so, despite all the precautions, one of the years there was a brawl between the two sides that caused some deaths and other victims, including a Civil Guard who lost a leg and several neighbours who were imprisoned.

On the days of San Juan and San Pedro, the same routes were repeated. On the afternoon of the latter festival, both sides went to San Roque, where the San Pedro de Redonda’s festivity was (and is) celebrated. Each side went by a different route and at different times, making their foliadas, and after dancing all afternoon, each side in its own area, the Granada side began its return to the village. Fifteen minutes later the Río-Seco side did the same, passing by the base camp of the enemy side. After some rest, the party continued in the cruceiros of both sides until eleven o'clock at night, when they made the same journey from one camp to the other. It must be said that the music on San Pedro’s day was more joyful than that the one of San Juan.

After San Pedro's Day, the agitation slowed down until the 25th of July, when both parrandas embarked to cross the estuary and head for the parish of Ameixenda (Cee), where the festivities of their patron saint, Santiago, were held. After spending the afternoon there dancing and singing in rivalry, when the sun set both sides put aside their antagonisms and embraced each other, returning to their village singing happy songs that lasted until well into the night.

In these articles published by the school teacher Díaz Fernández in the Revista Nerio (Nerio’s Magazine), he claims not to know for sure the origin of this tradition. It is probable that it is a medieval tradition from when there were two noble houses that exercised their lordship in this region and which, due to their rivalries and political struggles also had the people divided into two sides. These two lords would probably be, on the one hand, the Trastámara Archdeacon, Lord of Río-Seco, who ruled over the northern part of Corcubión, Cee and other villages and, on the other hand, his opponent, the Count of Altamira and Granada, who ruled over the southern part of Corcubión and the parishes of Sardiñeiro, Duio and Fisterra and many others in the Judicial Party and beyond.

In these publications, the school teacher also comments that the rivalry between the two lords was supposed to have its origin in the struggles that took place in the 14th century between Don Pedro I, El Cruel, and Don Enrique II of Trastámara, as each was from a different party. The different songs that were sung in reference to these events are proof of this. Tradition says that it was the marriage of two branches of both families that brought peace between them and their supporters.

LEGENDS

San Marcos da Cadeira

San Marcos is the patron saint of Corcubión. He is called "San Marcos da cadeira" (cadeira means chair in Galician) because he is represented in a seated attitude. In this image we see an elderly bearded man sitting on an ornate chair flanked by the coats of arms of the Moscoso (wolf's head) and the Castro (six circles). With curly hair, he is covered with a smooth bonnet. He has an open book between his knees in which he is writing with pen. He wears a tunic and a cloak that is fastened with a rosette-shaped clasp. He has a winged lion at his feet, a symbol that corresponds to the Evangelist San Marcos.

 

Tradition says that the statue arrived in Corcubión by sea. Legend has it that one day a sailboat arrived in Corcubión carrying a statue of San Marcos among its load, a carving that would have been destined for some European port. The ship entered into Corcubión due to bad weather. But once the storm subsided, and every time the ship tried to continue its journey, the bad weather started again. After several attempts, the crew began to get restless and, faced with religious fear, they managed to convince their captain that, perhaps, by leaving San Marcos statue on land the storm would subside. Finally, by leaving San Marcos at Corcubión the ship was able to set sail again and continue its journey.

There is another version of this legend that says that the image was the figurehead of a Venetian ship that its crew threw into the sea, being picked up by the fishermen of the town who made it their patron saint.

According to a former administrator of the Counts of Altamira, this image came from Venice. The art historian López Vázquez states that it is a Gothic carving, from the second half of the 15th century, made in an Italian sculpture workshop. There is evidence that Venetian and Genoese ships were forced into the ports of Costa da Morte following the trade route to Flanders, just as ships from our area were forced into the freight markets of Genoa. The heraldic symbols that appear in the picture correspond to the Moscoso and Castro family and it is very likely that the carving came from Italy, as the Counts had relatives who held political and military positions in those lands.

A Furna de Don Liborio

At the foot of the cliffs where the Cardenal’s Castle is located there is a cave (furna in Galician) with three entrances known as A Furna de Don Liborio.

Legend has it that there was an underground passage leading from the fortress to the cave which, among many other functions, was used to throw the corpses of the condemned into the sea.

During the repair work being carried out on the castle as a result of the war against the French in 1809, the workers began to hear some groans coming from a crack in one of the walls. Driven by curiosity they knocked down part of what turned out to be a false wall and found a macabre scene. They ran in astonishment to inform the authorities, who went to the site and verified, after knocking down the wall, the existence of a mummified body that was walled-up and that looked terrifying.

They decided to take the body down for examination. The coroner, while carrying out the autopsy, observed that among the rags of the deceased there was a glass bowl hanging from a small chain that contained a manuscript. One of those present read the document aloud, which turned out to be the sentence that explained the cruel punishment. The body belonged to Don Liborio, a prosperous businessman who lived in Corcubión in the mid-18th century.

One unfortunate day, Don Liborio was accused as a suspect of the death of a maid's daughter. The girl's name was Hermelinda, and it is said that she was the most beautiful and charming creature to be born in the village in many years. Her body was found hidden between the walls of a stable next to Don Liborio's house. After being subjected to a harsh interrogation, he was found guilty of the maiden's murder and, in return for his terrible crime, condemned to immurement.

After discussion, those present decided to get rid of the remains of Don Liborio. They put the deceased in a crate and threw him through the tunnel that led to the cave near the sea. From there a short time later, as the body sank into the water, a terrifying moan was heard and a blinding light came out from inside the cave, illuminating the whole night. As the crate with Don Liborio's remains sank into the sea the moaning and blinding light faded away. In the harsh winter nights, when the brave storm hits Costa da Morte with force, one can still hear the desperate moan of the unfortunate Don Liborio, who cries out in anger against the unjust sentence. His anger is calmed when a blinding light emerges from the sea and penetrates the cave. Many say that this light is none other than the soul of the beautiful Hermelinda who comes from the other world to comfort poor Don Liborio.

Industrial heritage

Salting factories

As Santiago Llovo Taboada explains in the first pages of his book As salgaduras de Carnota, at the beginning of the 19th century it was common to call the salting factories sardine warehouses or sardine factories. This was because the sardine was the main product that contributed to the economic development of the Galician coastal area, although others such as conger eel, hake or octopus were also dried and smoked.

In the transformation of our coast, the so-called Catalan promoters had a lot to do with it. They arrived in our estuaries as early as the middle of the 18th century. At first they came only to work during the sardine’s season, and returning to their land with the product produced. But at the end of the 18th century and beginning of the 19th century, the Catalans started to build companies to exploit the sardine and they settled in Galicia building stone salting factories, although, at the beginning, they settled in places where there was already some fishing activity and they had good defence, as it was the case of Muros, Fisterra or Corcubión.

A traditional salting construction used to have the house in front, the salting presses on one side and the pressing system on the other, separated by a space that was called claro. When the boats and galleons stranded on the beaches or docked at the small piers, the fish was carried to the salting presses, which were initially round and made of wood, but later, with the arrival of the Catalans, they were made of large granite slabs.

The traditional Galician system of preserving sardines in salt required removing the head and the guts from the sardines one by one, although the salting process was different depending on their purpose: if it was for the sailor's own consumption and his family, it was salted and left in the presses until it was consumed; if it was for sale, after cleaning and washing it, the sardine had to be in the presses with salt for twenty-four hours and then it was placed in the barrels in layers alternating with salt and without being pressed. However, with the system introduced later by the Catalans, it was not necessary to clean the sardine, but it was placed whole in the presses that were half-watered with salt (what is clear is that with either system a large amount of salt was needed). After the sardine had been in the presses in brine for the corresponding period of time, it was extracted, washed and winded; it was then introduced into the barrels in an orderly fashion and then pressed.

As for the salting factories in Corcubión, it is known that there were at least four in the area of Quenxe, one in Boca de Sapo, one on Lobeira Grande Island and several in the village. What is not known for sure is if all of them worked, as it is the case, for example, of the building that until a few years ago housed the Seno de Corcubión Maritime Museum. This building was initially built as a salting factory, but there is no evidence that it worked as such.

Quenxe’s Salting Factories

LOCATION: Quenxe’s beach.

CHRONOLOGY: before 1870.

CONDITION: bad.

USE: abandoned.

Boca de Sapo’s Salting Factory

LOCATION: Boca de Sapo (parish of Redonda)

CHRONOLOGY: end of the 19th century.

CONDITION: very bad.

USE: abandoned.

Lobeira Island’s Salting Factory

On Lobeira Grande Island, apart from the lighthouse and the lighthouse keeper's house, now abandoned, there are also, to the south of the island, the remains of a salting factory of which half of the stone walls are still standing.

Shipyard

In Corcubión, boats were often launched in past centuries. One of the shipyards that existed in our municipality was the one owned by the Compañía General de Carbones (General Coal Company), located on Quenxe’s beach, where some of the salting factories of the municipality were also located and whose remains can still be seen. One of the best known launches is the sailboat Julita. This 300-tonne boat was launched on the 27th of September 1920 as part of the Mercedes’ festivity programme, as the Compañía General de Carbones wanted to contribute to the splendour of the celebrations. It was built in the shipyards that this company had in Quenxe and the person in charge of this work was the master José Iglesias, known as Palletas. The godmother of this event was the daughter of the manager in Galicia of the Compañía de Carbones, who was also called Julia.

In addition to the sailboat Julita, other boats were built, such as the steamer Triton (used to transport the workers to the pontoons), the barges San José, Ameijenda, Pindo, etc.

But previously and on those same grounds (when the shipyard was not yet owned by the Compañía General de Carbones) there is evidence of the construction of other sailing ships. Some examples are the coasting lugger San Pablo (1865) or the schooner Camila in 1829 (later reconstructed with the wood and nails from the English ship “The Great Liverpool”, wrecked in Caneliñas - Cee). Almost 60 years later, Camila stopped sailing and its copper nails were used to build the sloop called Méndez Núñez. This sloop was owned by José González Cereijo, one of the pioneers in Galicia in the recovery and rescue of shipwrecks. This man had a warehouse on the A Viña’s beach that he used for trade and the deposit of the remains of the ships that he recovered or scrapped. He had a wooden dock for the service of his boats. González Cereijo had several boats, two of which were the aforementioned Méndez Núñez and the Argonauta. It was precisely in the place where José González Cereijo's warehouse was located where, later on, another of the shipyards that existed in Corcubión for the repair of boats was in operation until the end of the nineties. Today you can still see the remains of this shipyard on A Viña’s beach.

Also in 1888, a recreational yacht and lobster hatchery were launched. These boats were very common at that time for the transport of live lobsters, which were very abundant in Costa da Morte and were a very exported product, being Plácido Castro Rivas one of the entrepreneurs who benefited from this business.

Another of the shipyards was located in what was known as Casa de Lla, an old salting factory that had a fountain in the centre of its patio, the properties of its waters being considered very effective in combating many diseases. This property passed through several hands until, in the fifties, it was bought by Benigno Lago Estévez. After being inactive for several years, Lago reopened the house and built a shipyard attached to the old salting factory. In the seventies, the Casa de Lla was demolished due to the urbanization of the area where it was located, so today the remains of this property are not preserved.

Underwater heritage

SHIPWRECKS

The numerous shipwrecks that have occurred in Costa da Morte over time are well known, some of them due to storms, others due to breakdowns. The truth is that there are many shipwrecks located at the bottom of our coasts.

In the Corcubión estuary there were also numerous shipwrecks. The area of the Carromeiro Chico, known as "The Cemetery of the Greek Ships" because of the various sinkings of Greek ships, such as the Manoussis (23 May 1930), the Constantinos Pateras (10 May 1922), Maria Kastanou (May 1930) or Mount Parnes (14 February 1935), is worth mentioning. In addition to these Greek ships, other nationalities boats were shipwrecked in this area, including the Russian Marie (28 January 1910), the Norwegian As Langford (23 October 1907) and the English Rosalie (7 October 1905) and Albion (2 May 1908).

Among the ships that have sunk in the waters around Corcubión, the following are worth mentioning:

  • The galleon San Jerónimo, belonging to the Padilla’s Navy, sank at Punta do Diñeiro (between Cape Cee and Cape Nasa), in 1595.
  • The English sloop Abeana: it arrived at the end of January 1821 and sank on the 8th of February when it was trying to get back into the sea off the coast of Redonda.
  • The French sloop Societé de Saint Malo sank on the 23rd of September 1822 in the coast of Redonda. In this incident the captain died, whose body was found on A Mariña’s beach, where he was buried.
  • The Arrogant Asturian brigantine sank on the 7th of April 1856 in the vicinity of Punta de Quenxe. Its crew was rescued in one of the salting factories on the beach, owned by Don Agustín Sagristá.
  • The Portuguese large sailing ship Rio Ave, sunk between A Mariña (passing Cape Cee) and Cape Nasa on the 4th of January 1857.
  • The Spanish sailboat, registered in Villajoyosa (Alicante – Comunidad Valenciana), called Joven Ignacio, sank on the 8th November 1871. This boat arrived with fire in its load of coal and to try to save it it was beached of Corcubión; but as the fire did not extinguished the solution was to make some holes in the hull so that the water could enter, so finally it was submerged.
  • The Spanish corvette Sisarga, registered in A Coruña, was beached at Punta de Quenxe after arriving into the estuary with a breakdown. In the early hours of the 4th of February 1872 it was again afloat, but ended up sinking near the new quay.
  • The English steamer Derwentwater sank on the 14th of November 1890 on Lobeira Island.
  • The brigantine-schooner María Joaquina, with a Spanish flag and registered in Vigo (Galicia), sank at the beginning of January 1895 on Lobeira Island.
  • The steamer Nuestra Señora del Carmen, lost on the 3rd of November 1901 in an area near Cape Cee, entered the estuary to refuel coal and, after reaching de bottom, a leak caused, finally, its sinking.
  • The Greek steamer Polynnia sank on Lobeira Island on the 11th of June 1904.
  • The schooner Maria Segunda, registered in Muros, was attacked by the Norwegian steamer Reim when both were leaving the estuary near the Carromeiro Grande on the 15th of July 1910. There were no casualties, the steamer Reim did not help the crew who managed to get to safety in a lifeboat on board.
  • The English steamer Cisneros entered Corcubión on the 4th of April 1925 with a wildfire on board. It was stranded near La Seca’s beach, in Cee, just in front of Corcubión. Due to the effect of the fire, the steamer became unusable for navigation, so it was finally scrapped on Corcubión’s beach, between the stairs near the port and the filling of estuary (where the long tile bench is).
  • The English steamer County of Cardigan entered Corcubión with a leak and the captain, in an attempt to save it, ran aground it near Cape Cee on the 20th of May 1925. It had a 500 tons load of corn from Braila (Romania). In the following days, a storm caused serious damage to the hull of the ship, making it impossible to save it. Even so, part of the corn load could be recovered.
  • The Sorrento pontoon, an old Italian corvette used as a floating coal deposit, sank in January 1927 due to a leak, being loaded with coal, near Punta de Quenxe. The remains are still in the same place where it sank.

Seno de Corcubión Maritime Museum

The Maritime Museum in Corcubión has been closed for several years. Even so, it is located in a unique building that deserves a mention.

This museum is located next to Quenxe’s beach and its purpose was to recover, preserve and disseminate the historical and maritime heritage of the geographical area covered by the so-called Seno de Corcubión (bay of Corcubión).

This building was built in the 19th century, initially, to be a fish salting factory. Like many other salting factories, it has a rectangular structure arranged around an open central courtyard that would have been used for the reception and preparation of the fish.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Compañía General de Carbones (General Coal Company) was installed in this building, which meant that official bodies were set up in the area, such as Customs, external healthy service and maritime rescue.

Once the commercialization of coal decreases, the building is reused as a shipyard for the construction of wooden boats.

The idea of creating a sea museum was born in 2000 in a meeting chaired by Marcelo Castro Rial and members of the municipal corporations of Corcubión, Cee, Carnota, Dumbría and Fisterra. The first opening to the public was made in the same year coinciding with the Mercedes' festivity. The official opening of the venue took place on the 6th of October 2001.

This museum housed a great quantity and variety of pieces from the ships that were built or sailed in the 20th century in the bay of Corcubión, from Cape Fisterra to Punta Insua (in Carnota), as well as wooden templates, construction plans and nautical charts. All these pieces were divided in the following collections:

  • Logbooks
  • Magnetic ship’s compass
  • Other nautical instruments
  • Nautical charts
  • Maps
  • Radio communication equipment
  • Radio navigation equipment
  • Detection equipment (radars and probes)
  • Maritime rescue equipment.
  • Lanterns
  • Models and silhouettes
  • Diver
  • Carpintería de Ribeira (Ribeira Carpentry, which is the craft of traditional construction of wooden boats)
  • Engines
  • Steering wheels
  • Deck machinery

St James’ Way

The pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela was the most noted cultural and religious event of the Middle Ages, something that was also recognised by the European Parliament, which declared St James’ Way the First European Cultural Itinerary, and by UNESCO, which declared it a World Heritage Site.

The discovery of the tomb of the Saint James Apostle took place at the beginning of the 9th century and put an end to an oral and written tradition that placed the Apostle as an evangeliser in the lands of ancient Hispania after the death of Jesus Christ. The Codex Calixtinus states that after the Apostle was beheaded by Herod Agrippa in 44 AD, his lifeless body was taken by two boys, his disciples, on a ship manned by angels that crossed the Mediterranean and sailed up the coast of Portugal to the port of Iria Flavia. There, after a series of miraculous events, Saint James was buried on Mount Libredón.. According to tradition, almost eight hundred years later, a hermit saw some heavenly lights that led him to the place where he discovered the remains of Saint James. He warned Teodomiro, Bishop of Iria, and King Alfonso II ordered to build a small church, which he left under the command of Benedictine monks. But there were many faithful who came to visit the tomb of the Apostle, so before the end of the 9th century, Alfonso III ordered the construction of a bigger temple to accommodate them all.

Crowds of pilgrims began to arrive to visit the remains of the Apostle, especially after the Turkish invasions that interrupted the pilgrimage to Jerusalem, just at the time when the Romanesque cathedral was being built in Santiago (1708). The pilgrimage to Compostela was then at its peak, thus consolidating St James’ Way, the most promoted route and the best endowed one by kings and ecclesiastical authorities.

St James’ Way to Fisterra-Muxía.

Today there are many Ways that lead to Santiago de Compostela. Although the first pilgrims in the 10th century went through what is now known as the Northern Route (Camino del Norte), there are other Routes that lead to the tomb of the Saint James Apostle. In Galicia, the Ways through which we can reach Santiago are: the French Way (Camino Francés), the Primitive Way (Camino Primitivo), the Northern Way (Camino del Norte), the English Way (Camino Inglés), the Via de la Plata Way or Southeast Way (Camino del Sudeste), the Portuguese Way (Camino Portugués), the Portuguese Coastal Way (Camino Portugués de la costa), the Winter Way (Camino de Invierno) and the Route of the Arousa Sea and the Ulla River (Ruta del Mar de Arousa y del Río Ulla). In addition to these, we have the Fisterra and Muxía Way, the only stretch that does not end in Santiago, but quite the opposite. In this case the origin is Compostela and the destination are the sanctuaries of Santo Cristo de Fisterra and A Virxe da Barca in Muxía. The reason of the existence of this Way must be looked for in the pre-Christian roots that considered that this route led to the western end of the known world, to the place where the sun disappeared, that's why Costa da Morte receives, precisely, that name (Coast of Death), for being the coast of the death of the sun, or for being where it ended, where the known land "died".

It is worth mentioning that, at least since the High Middle Ages, the finis terrae appears in the Jacobean tradition. The proof is found in the Codex Calixtinus (12th century), which includes it among the places where the body of the Apostle was transferred to Galicia. This will motivate the construction of Santo Cristo de Fisterra Sanctuary. The same happened with the Virxe da Barca Sanctuary, in Muxía, considering this place as the most extreme one where the Apostle arrived preaching, the reason why Our Lady appeared to him in a stone boat to encourage him in his preaching. These facts made both sanctuaries become a place of pilgrimage after visiting the tomb of the Apostle in Santiago de Compostela.

The large number of European pilgrims and travellers who arrived to Fisterra and Muxía from Santiago showed the strong mystic and magic tradition of the place. This attraction is still alive today, because the Way to Fisterra and Muxía is the second most crowded Jacobean itinerary after the French Way but, even so, the Church does not recognize it as a Jacobean Route because its destination is not Santiago, so the Compostela document is not dispensed for its realization.

St James’ Way to Fisterra and Muxía through Corcubión

The Jacobean myth could have its origin in Costa da Morte (Coast of Death), as these lands were the place where the known world ended and had a strong attraction to be visited, which is the reason why it has been pointed out that in this pre-Christian journey to the end of the known world could be the remote origin of the St James’ Way itself, as the Apostle reached our coasts, hence it is understandable that the Jacobean Route is extended to Finisterre and Muxía.

From Santiago there are four stages to make this extension of the Way: Santiago - Negreira (passing by O Alto do Vento, Mar de Ovellas and A Ponte Maceira); Negreira - Olveiroa (passing by Zas, O Cornado, Santa Mariña and Lago); after these two stages you can decide if you want to go first to Muxía and then to Fisterra or go first to Fisterra and then to Muxía. In case you choose the first option, the two remaining stages would be Olveiroa - Muxía (passing by Hospital, Dumbría, Senande and San Martiño de Ozón); and Muxía - Fisterra (passing by O Facho de Lourido, Lires, and Castrexe (Rostro’s beach)). If you decide to go first to Fisterra and then to Muxía, you would have to do the third stage: Olveiroa - Fisterra (passing by Hospital, Cee and Corcubión) and the fourth stage: Fisterra - Muxía (passing by Castrexe, Lires and O Facho de Lourido).

Therefore, St James’ Way to Fisterra and Muxía through Corcubión would be within the Olveiroa - Fisterra stage. In this case, in Hospital (Dumbría), the Way is divided in two: one to Muxía and other to Fisterra. If you choose to go to Fisterra you will arrive to Corcubión, a village you will enter from Cee and from where there are 14 kilometres left to Fisterra lighthouse.

Once you leave Cee and enter Corcubión, you will find, on the right hand side, the beginning of a steep slope with an information panel about the route of St James’ Way towards Fisterra as it passes through Corcubión. We observe two alternatives:

a) The traditional route, going up that steep slope (Rúa Cruceiro de Valdomar – Cruceiro de Valdomar Street), continuing along Rúa Alameda (Alameda Street) (always on our left), down Rúa Rafael Juan (Rafael Juan Street), followed by Rúa Antonio Porrúa (Antonio Porrúa Street), until we reach Praza de Castelao (Castelao Square).

b) Continue along the main road, bordering the sea, until you reach Praza de Castelao (Castelao Square), which you will find on your right, easy to identify due to the existence of several palm trees there.

Once you reach Praza de Castelao (Castelao Square), the Way continues to the left, up the Rúa San Marcos (San Marcos Street) until you reach the church, located in the Praza Párroco Francisco Sánchez (Párroco Francisco Sánchez Square). Once here, you must continue to the right, along Rúa das Mercedes (Mercedes Street), until you reach the children's playground, located in O Campo do Rollo.

At this point, the signs for the Way take you across the square where the playground is located and, following the yellow shells, you must start to go into the forest along the Rúa Fontiñas (Fontiñas Street). At the end of this cobbled climb you reach a dirt track where you must turn left and climb another small section. At the end of this climb you continue walking to the left along Camino Z until you reach the place of O Vilar, where you will find a wash house and a fountain on your left.

Leaving that wash house on the left, you must continue on the right (if you go down on the left you will return to the village), following the asphalt until you reach the main road (the AC-445). Cross this road carefully and you will find, on the left, San Pedro’s Recreational Area, where the Municipal Pilgrims' Hostel is also located, managed by the Galician Association of St James’ Way Friends (AGACS). From this hostel you can see the signs of the Way to continue towards Fisterra.

Once you arrive to Fisterra centre you should continue towards the lighthouse. From there you can continue with the Way from Fisterra to Muxía.

To obtain the Fisterrana (the document that proves you arrived on foot from Santiago to Fisterra, you have to go to the Tourist and Pilgrim Service Office, located in Praza da Constitución (Constitución Square) in Fisterra.

Old Pilgrim's Hospital of Corcubión.

Proof of the existence of the Way from Santiago to Fisterra and Muxía was the fact of building hospitals to attend the travellers in this route, which made possible its continuity and also shows the attraction it had. There are many references made to this Way by pilgrims in past centuries, as it was the case of Jorge Grissaphan (Magyar knight of the 14th century who arrived to Fisterra), the German pilgrim Sebastian Ilsung, who arrived to Muxía in the middle of the 15th century, as well as the bohemian Leo de Rozmithal (1466), the German Dominican Felix Faber (1480) and the Polish Nikolaus von Popplau (end of the 15th century). Already in the XVI century the Venetian Bartolomeo Fontana arrived to Fisterra and in the XVII century the Bolognese clergyman Domenico Laffi also finished his trip in Fisterra.

It is therefore understandable that pilgrim hospitals were built in the places where this Way passed through. In the case of Corcubión, the pilgrims' hospital was located in the current house at number 16 in Avenida da Mariña, which is also one of the oldest houses still standing in Corcubión. It is documented that in 1431 the Counts of the Jurisdiction of Corcubión, Don Rodrigo de Moscoso and Doña Juana de Castro, founded a hospital in this building which served as a welcome centre to pilgrims, who were walking through Corcubion when visiting the Santo Cristo de Fisterra and Nosa Señora da Barca sanctuaries. The Counts assigned to it some incomes that at that time were enough for its maintenance.

Already in the early years of the 18th century, Don José Isla de la Torre stated in his Compendio del Estado de Altamira that the income of this hospital was insufficient, so much that the seamen's guild allocated the fifth of the sardine on several occasions to the support of this hospital (the fifth of the sardine was the donation made by the seamen of the amount they earned from fishing the sardine on the days of the Holy Spirit, Saint Peter and All Saints).

Later, in 1809, during the war against the French troops, the ground floor of this building was used as an ammunition dump. During the attack on Corcubión by Napoleon's troops on the 13th of April 1809, when the village was completely destroyed, this house was also burnt down. The incredible thing is that when people saw the house in flames, some of the town's sailors did not hesitate to enter and try to prevent everything from being blown up, taking out the burning wooden beams through the windows and finally managing to prevent all the ammunition from exploding and causing a greater misfortune than the situation that was already being experienced at that time.

The most curious thing is that the original walls of that house were whitewashed for maintenance and, fortunately, they have survived to the present day.