3: Miño - Bruma

Ponte do Porco

In Ponte do Porco there is a bridge from the 19th century. But the original plan of the Way implies going up to Lambre River and get to the bridge, built in the 14th century by order of Fernán Pérez de Andrade, where history and legend fit together to get a magic place.
   In the surroundings, there are rests of an important industry of the 18th century, “Muíños da Misericordia”, which belonged to the lords of Pazo de Montecelo and where grain was milled for the dockyards of Ferrol.

St Pantaleón de Viñas Church is Romanesque with half-point archivolts over two pairs of columns and rose window in the façade. Beside the church lies the ‘pazo’ that belonged to the Bermúdez de Castro and there is also a ‘castro’ behind.

Betanzos

St Paio Chapel, which is in ruins, is nowadays a warehouse. A great pilgrimage in honour of the saint was celebrated in this chapel on 24th August.

Dominating Betanzos from the old location of the city, we find St Martiño de Tiobre Church that preserves Romanesque rests such its side door. In Tiobre, we can also find Os Remedios or Nuestra Señora del Camino Sanctuary, a Renaissance temple with Latin cross floor built by García de Velasco in the late 16th century.

Betanzos, capital of As Mariñas region, is one of the capital cities of the old Kingdom of Galicia. Pilgrims entered across the old bridge, A Ponte Vella, over Mandeo River. 
The immediate Arco da Ponte Vella corresponds to one of the three doors of the medieval wall of the city that are still preserved.

St Francisco Church, Gothic of the 14th century, houses the tomb of Fernán Pérez de Andrade, the good, protector that were attended is hospitals dedicated to him.

St María de Azougue, 14th century, is also Gothic. It has three naves, three apses and altarpiece of flamenco school in the high altar.

Santiago Church (Gothic, 15th century) was erected by Fernández Pérez de Andrade, the young. It has three naves and three apses and in the façade there is an image of St James on horse. In one of the chapels, Pedro de Ben Chapel, we can observe the magnificent plateresque altarpiece by Cornielis de Holanda.
 
   

The Town Hall, the local tower (leaned to Santiago Church) and Pazo de Bendaña are outstanding civil buildings of the city.

In the square dedicated to Brothers García Naveira, there is a memorial remembering these neighbours of Betanzos, famous for their philanthropic works related to education and society and for “O Pasatempo”, a journey through the wonders of the World reflected in Betanzos as the most original World thematic park.

In this square we can also find St Domingo Church, 17th century, with a Baroque belfry built by Casas Novoa at the beginning of the 18th century, where the famous paper balloon has been rising for over 130 years. There is also a building, erected in the 18th century,
    Leaving Betanzos over As Cascas Bridge, with a coat of arms of the city, we pass along Xanrozo, a place that gives name to the archpriesthood, leaving left the ‘castro’ with that name, where there was a medieval fortress already documented in the 10th century.

Once we pass Limiñón, already in Abegondo, we find St Esteban de Cos Chapel.

We pass near Santiago de Meangos Church and crossing Presedo Bridge we visit the church.

Then, we pass next to San Paio de Vilacova hermitage and go up to Vizoño.

In Bruma, there was a pilgrim’s hospital dedicated to St Lorenzo. It was founded in 1140 and began to depend on Santiago hospital in 1175.

Nowadays, there is a modern lodging and a chapel in the surroundings.