rOutE 17 San Lázaro – MoUNT Gozo

Small and humble temple located on Monte do Gozo, the first place from which the towers of the cathedral of Compostela can be glimpsed. It is located 4.5 km from the city of Santiago. The first church erected in this emblematic enclave, of which hardly any news survives, was dedicated to the Holy Cross and was rebuilt in 1105 by order of the then bishop Diego Xelmírez, who arranged for an annual procession to be held on St. Mark’s Day.
The aim was to provide this symbolic place, where pilgrims divided the city of Santiago for the first time by looking to the west, with a space for worship. It is possible that next to it was the famous humiliator of the mountain, of which there are no remains today. There, the pilgrims deposited a stone as a sign of permanence and gratitude for having reached the gates of the sacred enclosure of Compostela.