| Pico Sacro | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 530 m (1,740 ft)[1] |
| Coordinates | 42°48′25.6″N08°26′48.0″W / 42.807111°N 8.446667°W /42.807111; -8.446667 |
| Geography | |
| Parent range | Galician Massif |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | hike |
Pico Sacro ("Holy Peak" inGalician) is a summit in the centralGalician Massif and the municipality ofBoqueixón. In antiquity it was known asMount Ilicino, and features a hermitage, a cave, the remains of amedieval castle and atriangulation station. The mountain rises 530 meters (1,740 ft) and is known for its unique shape and a legend about theApostle James. A deep and narrow cave sits just below the peak, and legend places a dragon there protecting one of the entrances to hell.[2]
InGalician mythology,Queen Lupa sent the disciples of theApostle James,Theodore and Athanasius, to Pico Sacro to collect her oxen to help build a tomb for the apostle. Lupa did not tell them that there was a cave with an entrance to Hell, and that adragon lived there.[3] The faith of the disciples protected them from the dragon and tamed the oxen.[4]
TheCamino Sanabrés, a branch of the Way of Saint James, passes by the foot of the mountain originating inGranja de Moreruela.[5] The crest of the mountain is divided by a deep trench known as the "Rúa da Raíña Lupa" (English: Queen Lupa's path). The origin of the 2 by 6 metres (6.6 ft × 19.7 ft) gap is unknown; it may be a natural fissure, or the result of mining performed by the Romans. Fanciful tales attribute the cut to Queen Lupa or the sword of aTitan.[6] HistorianAntonio López Ferreiro [es] hypothesized that the trench could have been used as a moat for the castle on the summit.[6]
The Benedictine Monastery of San Sebastián was built below the mountain's peak at the beginning of the 10th century by Sisnando I, bishop ofIria Flavia. The monastery was later dismantled byArchbishop Alonso de Fonseca to build a castle.[2]
TheCastle of Pico Sacro [gl] was built in theEarly Middle Ages near the top of the mountain, replacing a small chapel near the Monastery of San Sebastián. In the 15th century this fortress was destroyed during theIrmandiño revolts, but was later rebuilt by Archbishop Alonso de Fonseca to defend against theHouse of Altamira.[7][2]
When an epidemic ofSaint Anthony's fire was raging in Galicia, those afflicted would to go to the mountain and, after making an offering of bread at the summit, pray the following prayer:[8]
Holy Peak, Holy Peak,
consecrated by the blessed Saint James,
deliver me from this angry fire,
through the intercession of the Virgin Mary,
and Our Father and a Hail Mary.
Or, simply: "Sacred Peak, Sacred Peak, heal me from the malady that consumes me.[n. 1]
The academicVicente Risco believes that this prayer dates from the 13th century, and notes that it is not addressed to any saint, but to the mountain itself as if it could hear and heal the person making the prayer.[9]
![1610 - Map of the Jacobean legend in Historia del Apostol de Iesus Christo Sanctiago Zebedeo[10]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aMapa_da_transla%25C3%25A7om_em_Historia_del_Apostol_de_Iesus_Christo_Sanctiago_Zebedeo_(1610).jpg)
