A legend and the Vaca de Fisterra: the mystery of the Costa da Morte

The Costa da Morte is, without a doubt, one of the most mysterious places on the Galician coast. At Simply Galicia we want you to discover and get to know every corner of Galicia in a fun way. That's why, as well as organising daily excursions to Fisterra, Muxía, Ézaro, Muros and Pontemaceira, today we're going to tell you about some of the area's curiosities!

Of stones, boats and the Apostle Santiago

Legend has it that the Virgin arrived in a stone boat in Muxía, in the same place where today stands the temple in her honour, the Santuario da Virxe da Barca, in order to encourage the Apostle. Once his mission was accomplished, he ascended towards heaven and left the stone boat on the rocks of Monte Corpiño.

This small and curious boat would have broken into three large stones which, to this day, lie next to the sanctuary. They are the Pedra de Abalar, which popular belief attributes divinatory powers to it; the Pedra dos Cadrís, through whose lower hollow the believers pass to relieve lumbar pain; and the Pedra do Timón, which would correspond, as the name indicates, to the rudder part of the boat. 

Although unrelated to the previous ones, in the vicinity of the Santuario da Virxe da Barca is also the Pedra dos Namorados, an enclave visited by couples or by those who are looking for that special person.

A lighthouse with a lot of tradition and the Cow of Fisterra

The lighthouse that crowns the Costa da Morte has been warning sailors of the dangers since 1835. The construction emits its flashes 138 metres above sea level and reaches some 57 kilometres inland. In its beginnings, it worked with oil lamps, which were later replaced by incandescent ones.

However, the light was not enough and, in 1889, an annex building known as the Vaca de Fisterra was installed. It worked uninterruptedly for 110 years, until 1996. Its function was to warn sailors of the proximity of the coast by means of two double-note blasts every sixty seconds.

Its 120 decibels were audible up to 25 miles offshore, which made it a tool against days of heavy fog. The Costa da Morte has witnessed numerous shipwrecks due to its steep and dangerous coastline.

If you want to know more about this beautiful location, you can book your excursion here, by calling us on 698 186 670 or at info@simplygalicia.es. The trip departs every day until next October.