Cultural 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.