O Cebreiro

O Cebreiro is a locality in the municipality of Pedrafita do Cebreiro, in the province of Lugo, Galicia, situated at approximately 1,293 metres on the pass of the same name. It is one of the most symbolically charged places on the entire Camino Frances: the point at which the route crosses from León into Galicia.

The site has been associated with pilgrimage for over nine centuries. The Romanesque church of Santa María la Real contains a chalice and paten associated with a local miracle legend that inspired the Holy Grail associations of the Camino. The traditional pallozas, circular or oval stone and thatched roof structures of Celtic origin, survive at O Cebreiro in a museum context and are among the oldest dwelling forms still standing in the Iberian Peninsula.

For pilgrims, arriving at O Cebreiro in cloud or at dawn is frequently described as the most emotionally overwhelming moment of the Camino Frances. The Galician anthem, based on a poem by Rosalía de Castro, plays in the imagination of many pilgrims here.