Muxia

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Muxia (officially in Spanish and in Galician: Muxía) is a coastal town in Galicia, Spain. It is one of the final destinations (as is Finisterre) for pilgrims on the Way of St. James after visiting the shrine of the apostle Saint James the Great in Santiago de Compostela.

Muxia is known for its spectacular beaches. It has a very active fishing industry. Muxia is part of the 'Costa da Morte' or 'Costa de la Muerte' (i.e., the Coast of Death). The Costa Da Morte was given this name because of the large number of shipwrecks along its rocky shore.

Muxia is 3 kilometers from a famous Benedictine monastery that is now used as a church, the Church of San Julián de Moraime. The name of the town, "Muxia", refers to the monks who established this monastery.

Another famous church in the area is the "Santuario da Virxe da Barca" which stands on a rocky ridge above the surf.

Just south of the fishing village of "Porto do Son" there are the 2000-year old Celtic ruins of a fort at "Castro de Barona". These ruins were only rediscovered in 1933 and are a protected as a Spanish "Artistic Heritage" site. Local legend states that any person who sees the image or shape of a lion's head in the Castro de Barona rock formations will be chosen to join the rebirth of the Celtic Clan of Baroña.

There are several locations along the Costa da Morte that have a "pedra de abalar", (i.e., an "oscillating stone"), or rocking stone. One of these is in Muxia, the "Pedra da Barca". These are large stones that are balanced on a point, so that they can be moved back and forth easily, or even wiggle in response to the wind. These were used at one time to determine the guilt or innocence of those accused of serious crimes.

There was a serious oil spill along the Muxia part of the coast in 2002, but it has recovered substantially. The oil tanker "Prestige" leaked about 70,000 gallons of oil into the Atlantic in November of 2002.

[edit] History

In the 400s and 500s, Galicia was part of the German Suevi kingdom. The Moors replaced the Germans, who were displaced in the 8th or 9th century by the king of Asturias.

The monastery near Muxia was named "Mosteiro de Moraime" to honor the saint, San Xiao de Moraime, and was established in the early 1100's. Not long after, in 1105, it was attacked and destroyed by Norman pirates, and later by Saxons. Alfonso Raimúndez (King Afonso V of Galicia and the future King Alfonso VII of León and eventually of Castile, and emperor of Spain), had lived in the area when he was younger and was educated by Pedro Froilaz de Traba.^[1] Although he was only 14 at the time, Alfonso restored the monastery with a domation in 1119.

The nearby church dedicated to "Nosa Senora da Barca", the "Santuario da Virxe da Barca" was originally a pre-Christian Celtic church and sacred spot. This part of Spain was resistant to conversion to Christianity, and was only converted in the 1100s. The Christians built a hermitage on this location at first, and later the present church in the 1600s.

Legend has it that one of the apostles was trying to Christianize the local inhabitants and was having no luck and was discouraged. The Virgin Mary appeared to the apostle to comfort him. The Celtic stones near the church are now said to be remains of the Virgin Mary's stone boat.

Throughout the Middle Ages this region rebelled against the crown.

Muxia was purchased by King Carlos of Castile (the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V) in the 1500s so he could have a more convenient port, and thus improve his kingdom´s commerce and connections with England, where his cousin was Mary I.

Muxia was destroyed in the 1800s by Napoleon´s forces.

[edit] References

^ Studies in Medieval Spanish Frontier History, Study II: Fernando I and the Origins of the Leonese-Castilian Alliance With Cluny Alfonso, Charles Julian Bishko, Cuadernos de Historia de España 47 (1968), 31-135 and 48 (1969), 30-116

pictures from the Prestige oil spill
A tourist article
Another tourist article
Saint James's Catapult: The Life and Times of Diego Gelmírez of Santiago de Compostela, Chapter 9, The Bishop in his Diocese, R. A. Fletcher, Oxford University Press 1984
encyclopedia entry for Galicia, Columbia University Press
Historia de Galicia de don Benito Vicetto, tomo I, Ferrol 1865.
Description of Castro de Barona

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edit	List of the Spanish Costas:
Costa Brava \| Costa Dorada \| Costa del Azahar \| Costa Blanca \| Costa Cálida \|Costa de Granada \| Costa del Sol \| Costa de la Luz \| Costa del Marisco \| Costa Verde