Camino Photo of the Day: Cruceiro de Lameiros

Cruceiros are a common enough sight on the Camino¹. They were usually set up as boundary markers or to mark a crossroads. They are sometimes found in churchyards or in towns, where they mark places where itinerant judges would hold court on appointed days to dispense the King’s justice. This particular one is unusual in that it depicts the Pietà, that moment when the Blessed Virgin Mary received her Son’s body from the Cross. The other side depicts the Crucifixion. On the base are the tools of the Crucifixion: a ladder, tongs, nails, and the crown of thorns. It dates to the 1670s. When we’ve passed this place, there are always many pilgrims stopped here to pray or just to sit awhile.

Date: 29 April 2013
Place: between Lameiros and Ligonde (Province of Lugo, Galicia, Spain)
Today started: Portomarín (Province of Lugo, Galicia, Spain)

1. Cruceiro is the Galician; in other parts of Spain they are called Cruceros.