Gini v4.0

Day 11 Najera to Santo Domingo De La Calzada

20.5km, 5 hours

(Photos updated)

Today was nice walking, there was a good amount of cloud cover and lots of flat sections. The main scenery was vineyards.

We had a coffee stop in Azofra.

There was a sneaky nasty hill, and we were grateful for a donativo stall at the top! We enjoyed a cold drink.

Arrived in San Domingo de la Calzada at 2pm, perfect time to check in to our Parador which had AMAZING high pressure showers!

We visited the cathedral and learnt some

some more about the legend of the miracle that occurred in this town.

“The Legend of Santo Domingo de la Calzada tradition has it that among the many pilgrims from Compostela who stop in Santo Domingo de la Calzada here came a German couple with their eighteen-year-old son named Hugonell, from Ad Sanctos (Xanten in the Diocese of Münster, but until 1821 of the Archbishopric of Cologne)

The girl at the inn where they stayed fell in love with the young Hugonell, but due to the boy's indifference, she decided to take revenge. She put a silver cup in the young man's luggage and when the pilgrims continued on their way, the girl reported the theft to the Corregidor.

The laws of that time (Fuero de Alfonso X el Sabio) punished the crime of theft with the death penalty and once he was arrested and tried, the innocent pilgrim was hanged.

When his parents left for Santiago de Compostela, they went to see their hanged son and, when they arrived at the place where he was, they heard the voice of the son announcing that Santo Domingo de la Calzada had preserved his life. They immediately went to the house of the Mayor of the City and told him about the prodigy. Incredulous, the Corregidor replied that his son was as alive as the rooster and the chicken that he was preparing to eat.

At that precise moment the rooster and the chicken jumping from the plate and began to sing.”

The church here has a male and female chicken inside a gothic hen house in the church, said to be descendants of the original miracle chickens.

We also visited the bell tower, and Toni and I had a look around the convent. After exploring we went back to our Parador for dinner at the restaurant to celebrate my 40th birthday!