5: Palas de Rei - Melide

Melide               

Melide is already in the province of A Coruña. Through Melide, we get to the population Leboreiro, called Campus Leporarius according to the Codex of Calixtus. There is here a Romanesque church dedicated to St Mary and the old pilgrims’ hospital is also preserved. This hospital had an escutcheon of the Ulloas, who founded it. The modest Bridge of Disicabo with an only arch let us cross the Dry River (Río Seco).
Much more majestic is the medieval bridge over the river Furelos, which is near Melide.

 

              Leboreiro  Ponte de Disicabo  Ponte mediaval

Monasterio de Melide

 

MELIDE is the capital of a wide and rich region. The Cabildo de Santiago (the Chapter of Santiago) went there to receive the new archbishops. In this city existed the Monastery of Santic Spiritus (The Monastery of the Holy Spirit), which was founded in the 14th century. The present-day parish church is a restored remain of that monastery that had an important and peculiar hospital where the pilgrim was provided with fire and bed and shelter and charity. In Melide joined the French route and the one coming from the Cantabrian coast -Vascongadas, Santander, Asturias- that went into Galicia via Ribadeo.

 

Melide San Pedro

Museo Melide

 

Entering Melide, we find St Pedro’s Church whose old Romanesque façade and beautiful cross are preserved.

The Museum Terra de Melide preserves interesting objects that are very important to look back into the past of this region.

 

 

Many years ago there was a castle and a fort in the place where today the Chapel of Carmen do Castelo and the cemetery are situated.

   Melide Cruceiro

In the outskirts of the population there is also a Romanesque church called St María and an outstanding cross. From Melide, we go through Boente where there is a parish temple devoted to St James to reach Castañeda. Here, in Castañeda, there were lime ovens to make the works of the Cathedral in Compostela. For this purpose, pilgrims brought limestones from Pedrafita and Triacastela.