– Journal Update 18 This week: 19.0 miles to Total Miles: Contact us at [email protected] and visit us at www.sjnparish.org/camino-de-santiago/ 368.3 We headed out of on a well marked road, passing by groves of olive trees and a patchwork of fields with vines and fruit trees. Soon we ar- rived in Ponferrada, the last larger town on our Camino. It is surrounded by hills, mountains and two rivers. A strategic spot, it seemed. Indeed, it was a large and prosperous settlement in Roman times and later overrun by Visi- goths and then North Africans. After the Reconquista, Bishop Osmundo of Astorga commissioned a pilgrim bridge, which was unusually constructed with steel beams(!!), giving the city its current, ‘modern’ name: pons ferrada (iron bridge — steel being an alloy of iron and carbon). But the are who put a lasting stamp on the town. In 1178, the Templars made Ponferrada a main stop on the Camino, and in it, built a massive castle — one we’ve been eagerly look- ing forward to seeing.

We had to look past the modern and industrial part of the town and head to the old town and to the castle rising up over the town. Wow! The Castillo de los Templarios could have been taken straight from a guide to crusader castles in the Holy Land! We had to make this our first stop. The castle proved to be all that and more. It is immense — thick walls, ramparts, towers... Of course, we had to walk across a drawbridge to reach the twin-towered gate, we imagined ourselves in the Middle Ages! Construction began in 1178 when King Fernando II decreed it to the Templars. It was completed not long before 1312, the year the Templars were out- lawed, so they didn’t have too many years there. It was built over a Roman fort which had been built over a pre-Roman fort. Today the castle a national monument. Seeing the Tau cross engraved over the gate’s arch reminded us that this was one of the Knights’ headquarters. The castle was built to protect and serve pilgrims, and to protect sacred items. We defi- nitely felt that we were being protected, or at least watched, as two humble Rom- anesque-era human heads are sculpted into the entry capitals and have watched over the castle and her visitors through the ages. Inside, we saw devices to protect against invaders, and glad we weren’t considered such! The castle—fort—is, as we suspected, ideally situated. Fantastic views are all around which include two rivers, forests and a valley. Access to food and water would have been easy, made easier by an interior ability to draw water from the river — very cool. In the courtyard we looked through the slits in the wall to the town below. We imagined being on watch and protecting the pilgrims within (hee, hee). Legend shares that the castle holds many secret Templar symbols, such as the 12 towers representing the 12 months or the 12 disciples. The castle walls are straight from a postcard. The interior was somewhat plain, though. We almost left early, but thanks to another pilgrim, we were directed to the archives and Templar library — shockingly, completely missing from our tour books (again!) What a treasure! We spent so much time examining the hand drawn and gilded manuscripts, books and Bibles. Stunning. Beautiful. This collection is actually one of the largest in the world, dating back to 1100 A.D. when the Templars were around. We thank our fellow pilgrim for this most amazing tip. Afterwards, we enjoyed a walk along the riverside below and a brief stop at a café.

The social & town center is the Plaza Virgen de la Encina. It is lined with arcaded passages an many cafés — a great place to people watch or slow down in the evening with the locals. The man- hole covers have the Camino scallop shells and Tau cross of the Templars! The plaza stands before the Basilica de Nuestra Señora de la Encina. The legend of the basilica is that during the building of the Templar castle, a knight went into the forest seeking more wood for construction, and spotted Mary’s image on an ancient oak — oak trees were considered sacred by pre-Christian peoples in Iberia (this re- minded us of St. Boniface, the Thunder Oak and the start of the Christmas tree!) Encina means Holm Oak, and hence the basilica’s name, Our Lady of the Oak. A sculp- ture created in 2003 retells the legend.

What a beautiful basilica with several sculptures portraying the crucifixion, pietà and, again, we saw Jesus, crucified and lying down beneath an altar.

Nearby is the Convento de las Concepcionista, an active monastery. As a closed convent, it is rarely photographed. We were fortunate to celebrate Mass there. And, we learned of their very generous gesture in light of COVID-19: The nuns of the Convent of the Immaculate Conception of Ponferrada did not want to sit idly by in the face of the shortage of sanitary supplies. So, they turned their sew- ing workshop into a free mask manufacturing center. In late March, they developed the idea but they needed advice and cloth; they received both from Hospital . All was offered for free — they stated, "We do not sell. And our As we looked into this news prayer, which is a priority, Franciscan Concep- story, we happened upon a tionists want to help with what is within our reach". God bless them. website whose cursor made us We learned a little about their former ritual to become a nun there. The novic- smile as it traced es of the convent, which has hosted cloistered nuns in the our movements heart of the old town since 1524, underwent a final test before around the site. being closed within the walls of the Monastery of the Immac- ulate Conception for life. It was called ‘The Release Ceremony’ because those aspiring to join the religious community abandoned their monastic life for one day and went to the Basilica of La Encina and Carrasco. There they were asked if their decision was firm or if they had doubts. They were offered the opportunity to regain their former life. If the novices wanted to return to the convent, they did so in procession, for the last time, before the eyes of the neighborhood. We followed the way markers out of town and over the iron bridge that led to Pon- ferrada’s name. Soon, though, we were back in the modern world and saw the ever-so-contemporary Avenue de Amé- rica Bridge (see our photo on the left.) Very soon, we found ourselves wandering through Compostilla and enjoying the vari- ous murals around town and the charming Ermita Santa María de Compostilla with its mural and depiction of the 12-month cy- cle of agricultural labor including planting, harvest, wine-making, pig slaughter, rest and more.

Our path took us through many small villages… each with their unique history, churches and bridges! One such town was the tiny Valtuille de Arriba and its lovely local church, the Iglesia Santa María. It was so charming that we decided to stay and contemplate the portrayals of the Crucifixion and chat with the religious who were also there.

Mencía Wine and the El Bierzo Region While the region is well known for its wine making, the Mencía wine is unique to this area. Legend has it that a medieval pilgrim from France brought the first Cabernet Franc grapevine to the area, which over time adapted to El Bierzo’s climate and soil and evolved into Mencía. It has the ability to age like fine wine and is considered by Wine Folly ‘The Red Wine to Know’. Well, we had to try it!

Mencía has lovely flowery aromas with hints of strawberry, raspberry, black lico- rice, pomegranate and cherry sauce. When you look at a glass of Mencía, it has a deep red color with subtle hues of violet towards the rim. We were greeted with black peppery taste, peppery flavors of sour cherry, red currant and pomegran- ate. Want to try it? Click here for VinePair’s Top picks: http:// bit.ly/3rOsRJYMenciaWine Villafranca del Bierzo is a pretty little town with glass-enclosed balconies and stone and stucco homes set in a steep, lush valley. It was founded by French monks around 1070 (or maybe a cow, read on to the end!) It is squeezed into a narrow little wedge in the river valley with little room to grow, helping it preserve it’s historic charm. This is also where pilgrims past and present get ready for the next big climb.

Everyone here was very friendly. We felt at home. Our adventure began when we found a man outside the Colegiata Santa María boiling octopus for a wonderfully fresh and tasty pulpo á feira (boiled octo- pus with Spanish paprika, olive oil and sea salt). We shared a plate as a snack. Yum! Inside this imposing church we found a choir carved from local chestnut wood and beauti- ful sculptures. The best piece, though, is the 16th century retablo de la Trinidad. The cen- ter depicts a smiling God holding his cruci- fied Son. (We expanded the photo — hope you can see it!)

The Iglesia de Santiago and Villafranca’s Puerta del Perdón (door of pardon/forgiveness) offers pilgrims who are unable to make it to the end of the Camino an opportunity to receive full blessings and pardon for their transgressions... Where pilgrims could, and still can, receive a plenary indulgence — the requirements: having walked the necessary dis- tance, attend mass and say their prayers, as well as being able to prove they can’t physically continue all the way to due to illness or physical weakness. It is the only place on the Camino where you can receive a plenary indulgence, other than the Catedral de Santiago. Thus, the town is often called the ‘little Compostela’. The door, however, is only open in Ho- ly Years, Jacobean Years, when St. James’ Feast Day (July 25th) falls on a Sunday. And so, it closed its doors 1/1/2011 for ten years, until… you guessed it, December 31, 2020. Yahoo! We were there!!!! We were very excited pilgrims as we leave 2020 behind and look ahead to 2021! The door itself has very decorated carvings, with the capitals depicting the Crucifixion, the Magi (including one showing them sleeping outside the entry to Bethle- hem!), the Epiphany — which we appreciated seeing on the Epiphany! We found plants, animals & fantastical creatures too. Nearby was another highlight of Villafranca and a unique part of the Camino’s history, the Iglesia de San Francisco. The church is all that re- mains of the Franciscan convent. The church is dedicated to St. Francis of Assisi, who came through here in 1214 and found- ed this church. It has been restored after having been used for military barracks (oh my). The ceiling features amazing coffered woodwork. The simple side chapel (shown to the right) was beautiful. Yet another very peaceful place for contemplation on our La Vaca Blanca pilgrimage. Following in the footsteps of St. Francis was (the white cow) inspiring and reassured us for the next big climb. is a fixture in the folklore of Leon. La Vaca Blanca is known to come to the aid of anyone lost in a snowstorm — this is pretty important in an area that can be laden with heavy snow storms. La Vaca Blanca first appeared more than a thousand years ago, to a group of El Bizero shepherds who were leading their cattle through the mountains when a heavy snowstorm hit and they found themselves unable to see. Suddenly, a white cow appeared, clear and luminous, and led the shepherds to the narrow and protected valley basin of Villafranca del Bierzo. It was such a rich place that they decided to stay there, founding the settlement. Sources: Camino de Santiago – Sacred Sites, Historic Villages; A Pilgrim’s Guide to the Camino de Santiago; Village to Village Guide Camino de Santiago