STAGE 13 - HORNILLOS DEL CAMINO to CASTROJERIZ

 This stretch climbs to an upper mesa that is flat, flat, flat!!! At the six mile mark the path turns downward to Hontanas and then you follow a valley to Castrojeríz. Leaving Hornillos del Camino in the early morning...

The land in this area is very rocky. It is hard to believe that the area can support agriculture. All along the Camino you can see huge piles of large rocks that have been removed from the fields. The two pylons to the far left were about 20 feet high with the bottom rocks being probably five feet by five feet square.

This is a view of Hontanas.

Below is a tiny ermita in Hontanas that is dedicated to Santa Brígida. 

Starting up the valley toward Castrojeríz

In this valley is what remains of a medieval tower.

And here is Jannette standing just below the tower next to what remains of a wall.

About a mile and a half from Castrojeríz is the remains of the Monasterio de San Antón, Abad. The monastery was founded in 1146 by Alfonso VII and was known as the royal xenodochium of San Antonio Abad (meaning that it was dedicated as a guesthouse for the care of pilgrims). The current ruins are what remain of structure built by the donations of King Pedro I de Castilla (1334-1369). The hospital was run by the "antonianos" who cared for sick pilgrims, especially those who suffered from ergotism (also known as St. Anthony's Fire). The symptoms of the disease were often gangrene, convulsions, hallucinations, etc. Often, the saint and his followers were associated with the Tau symbol that was used by San Antonio, Abad in memory of the freeing of the first born of the Hebrews from Moses's curse; later associated with the freeing of individuals from pestilences.  

Saint Anthony, Abad

Note that today a road runs through the arches of the monastery. In the middle ages the Camino de Santiago ran through this space.

Jannette getting close to Castrojeríz. 

The Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Manzano

The Castle on the hill above Castrojeríz. The structure dates from the Roman period and is thought to have been founded by Julius Caeser. Its position high on a mountain top made it virtually impossible to conquer and was a defensive measure against enemies from northern Europe and Africa. During the middle ages the site witnessed conflicts between the Moors and the Christians (8th and 9th centuries). An interesting side note relating to Doña Leonor, a Castilian princess, queen of Aragón y Valencia, and the countess of Barcelona. In 1356, Pedro I el Cruel de Castilla complained to Pedro the Ceremonioso about the poor treatment that the later had given to Leonor de Castilla and her children. This so-called "Guerra de los dos Pedros" in which Leonor de Castilla's children, and especially Fernando, sided with Pedro I. Internal events in Castilla, due to the instability of its King's character, led Fernando de Aragón to side with Enrique de Trastámara. He eventually reconciled with his brother, the King of Aragon, who appointed him procurator general of his kingdoms. Leonor de Castilla intervened in the plot against her nephew Pedro I, el Cruel, in which the King's illegitimate brothers, Tello and Fadrique, also participated. Once the plot was discovered, Pedro I's revenge was complete and the widowed queen of Aragon was imprisoned in the castle of Castrojeríz in 1358, where he had her murdered shortly thereafter.

Finally, as you pass the Iglesia de Santo Domingo you see these two skull and crossbones on the wall. The skulls mark the location of a ossuary (a place where bones are relocated to make room for new burials in old spaces). The figure on the left has above its head the words: "O MORS" meaning "Oh Death!" Above the head of the figure on the right are the words: "O AETERNITAS" meaning" Oh Eternity! On the border above the two are the words from Lamentations 1:12 - "All you who pass this way, look and see: is any sorry like the sorrow that afflicts me, with which Yahweh has struck me on the day of his burning anger?" and then there is this reminder at the bottom: "Pilgrim, stop and calmly meditate on this cryptic and symbolic message left to us by these master builders." 

This sobering message reminds all of us that life is a journey that begins with birth and ends in death. What we do along the way, the path we take, is what will make the way purposeful.