Triacastela: Way of Saint James, chapels and natural surroundings

Pilgrimage route and activities

The section of the Way of Saint James from Triacastela to Sarria via Samos is 25.1 km long. The Samos variant of the Way of Saint James branches south from Tríacastela towards the area around the Sarria River. In Tríacastela, there are prepared take-off and landing areas for paragliding. Introductory and advanced courses have already been held there.

Nature

The southern third of the municipality of Tríacastela, approximately 34% of its area, belongs to the ANCARES-COUREL natural area. It is designated as a Site of Community Importance (SCI) within the Natura 2000 network and as a zone for the special protection of natural values. In various parts of the municipality, there are native deciduous forests of high landscape value. These forests are visible from the settlements and the roads connecting them.

The mountains of Pena Soá, Alto de Torrentes, Pico do Polvoreiro and Pico de Santa Irene are located in the vicinity of Tríacastela. The Vigilancia Forestal viewpoint is also located in the vicinity of Tríacastela.

Culture

The Igrexa Parroquial de Santiago de Triacastela was built in the Romanesque period and extensively rebuilt in the 18th century. It has preserved almost its entire Romanesque floor plan, made from the slate typical of the region.

The Capela do Biduedo has a rectangular nave and rubble walls made of slate and limestone. Its gabled roof is covered with slate, and its door has a round arch. Inside, there is a Neoclassical altarpiece with images from the 16th and 17th centuries.

The Capela de San Antonio contains a 19th-century Neoclassical altarpiece with carvings from the 18th century. The chapel has a rectangular nave, rendered and whitewashed rubble walls, and a gabled roof. It also has a simple belfry finished with stone blocks.

The Igrexa Parroquial de Santa María de Vilavella has a Latin-cross floor plan. Its walls are made of slate rubble, and its gabled roof is covered with slate. The façade has a portal with a projecting slab and three round-arched archivolts.

The architectural forms display various floor plans and façade details. The Capela do Biduedo and the Capela de San Antonio each have a rectangular nave, while Santa María de Vilavella has a Latin-cross floor plan. In Biduedo, the slate and limestone walls are topped by a slate-covered gabled roof and a round-arched door. San Antonio features rendered, whitewashed rubble walls, a gabled roof and a simple belfry with stone blocks. On the façade of Vilavella, there is a projecting slab and three round-arched archivolts.

Other places include Bolmente, Chantada, Sabenche, Campa, Monterroso, Viveiro, Saa and Lugo.

In the wider regional surroundings of Tríacastela are the Igrexa de Santa María A Real do Cebreiro and the Capilla de las Virtudes.

To the higher-level travel overview: Lugo.