Muxía

The village that bought its freedom

Muxía is a fishing village in the famous Costa da Morte (Death Coast). Its port and some simple brick houses in the purest sailor style are located in an incredible landscape.

Plan your stay in Muxia

The visit to the small, wild and marine Muxia, as well as its immediate surroundings, can take half a day or a whole day. The best option for the rest of the time is visiting the bay until the neighboring town of Camariñas. It is a good place to have lunch and to buy handcrafts. After that you can continue until the Cape Vilán. Another option can be going to the South until Finisterre and Corcubión and spend the day there. In Muxia there are so many place to eat but not a lot of them to sleep. If you want to book, check our pages sleep and eat in Muxia.

¿Quieres conocer este sitio?

There is a lot to see in Muxia, quintessential fishing town that invites you to walk peacefully through its streets. In the old town there still are brick houses with galleries and patines (patí: a kind of portico that allows access from the outside to the upper floors of homes). From Muxía’s monumental heritage and among all the Muxiáns religious buildings, the best known, located opposite the Atlantic, is the Sanctuary of the Virgen de la Barca, for being a pilgrimage point since the 11th or 12th century. A pilgrimage that over time gave rise to the current Romería de la Barca, that mix religious and profane celebrations in the town.

Tradition demands that once you finish your pilgrimage to Santiago, you still have to continue the route Finisterre-Muxía as the last stage in the Camino. Until you arrive to the Sanctuary of the Virgen de la Barca (Virgin of the Boat). Almost since the discovery of the tomb of the apostle james, certain pilgrims decided to extend their journey to the Costa da Morte. The Costa da Morte was  for the ancients the westernmost tip of Europe. From the 12th century, the Calixtino Codex links these lands with the Jacobean tradition. In the same century, a small chapel was built, in the 17th century that chapel became the current temple. Inside the church there is the gothic image of the Virgen de la Barca defender of the sailors and the sepulchers of the Counts of Maceda.

From the atrium of the sanctuary you can descend to the famous Piedras del Milagro (Miracle Stones), symbolizing the remains of the stone boat in which the Apostle arrived in the lands of Muxía. The legend tells that when Santiago Zebedeo was in the cliffs, discouraged by the scant reception of his preaching among the locals, the Virgin Mary appeared to him to announce that he had to return to Galilee because his work was already finished. From that trip in the stone boat we have the Abalar Stone, which would be the sail of the ship, the dos Cadrís Stone, the hull of the inverted boat (which cures the rheumatism and the pain of the kidneys if you pass below), and the Stone of the Rudder. The panoramic view of the Costa da Morte from this promontory is wonderful.

Among the monasteries that are found around Muxía, the most interesting is perhaps the Monastery of Moraime, 4 km away from the town. It exerted great power in the area during the feudal era and it is currently half abandoned. The convent must have been founded around the middle of the 11th century, although the present temple was not built until the end of the 12th century, thanks to the help given by the monarch Alfonso VII, who had been sheltering within its walls during his childhood, during the struggles between his supporters and those of his mother, Ms. Urraca. It is a very peculiar historical ensemble, which was destroyed several times by English pirates and corsairs. The Romanesque church of Moraime has a basilical plan and consists of three naves separated by columns and three apses. You shouldn’t miss the beautiful Romanesque porticos attached to the façade, and the frescoes of the deadly sins. In the vicinity of the area were found remains of a necropolis, possibly Roman or Visigothic, which makes us think of the existence of a possible hermitage of pre-Romanesque origins. In addition, other materials from Roman and late medieval times were located. A cruise in the countryside surrounding the church completes this excellent historical-artistic complex.

Santuario de la Virgen de la Barca

Back to the village you can see the conger-crafted dryers, linked to the fishing tradition of the town. In Muxia the only three conger dryers of all that existed formerly along the Costa da Morte are preserved.

The isthmus is limited by two maritime promenades: one facing the rocks of Cabo Vilán, which closes the Camariñas and Muxía estuaries, and another facing one of the most depressed sectors of the Costa da Morte (Cabo da Buitra). Close to the sanctuary, in a dominant position on the promontory of As Cruces, was placed a large sculpture called A Ferida (the wound) in memory of the disaster of the Prestige.

Must-see

Escultura A Ferida
qué ver en Muxía
Faro de Muxía

Practical data

Coordinates

43° 06′ 00″ N, 9° 13′ 00″ W

Distances

A Coruña 85 km, Santiago Compostela 70 km, Madrid 678 km

Altitude

35 m

Inhabitants

5162 (2013)

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