El Sanabrés Way o Mozárabe, is the continuation of the Camino de la Vía de la Plata, coming from Seville, via Merida, and which, in Granja de Moreruela, in the province of Zamora, separates from it to continue through the region of Sanabria towards Orense and continue until the end of the Camino in Santiago de Compostela.
The Vía de la Plata continues its path until it reaches Astorga (León) and joins a single path with the French Way, from Roncesvalles.
Perhaps right off the bat, upon hearing this name, it may seem completely unknown to you because, we must say, It is not as popular as the Camino Frances, and his well-known Camino de Santiago from Sarria, or the Northern Way. Also know as Mozarabic Way, this, is actually a kind of shortcut or detour of what is known as the Silver Way.
The Vía de Plata is a long and very old route that has its starting point in Seville to finally join the famous French Way in Astorga.
Being so frequently connected, the origin of the Camino Sanabrés goes hand in hand with that of the Vía de Plata. It is also related to the pilgrimages that were made to different monasteries in the province of Zamora, such as that of Santa María de Moreruela, from around 1163, the oldest in all of Spain; or that of San Salvador, just to mention a few.
It was like this little by little, the pilgrims who moved to these places, also they joined those who went to Santiago de Compostela.
En Rionegro del PuenteAround the XNUMXth century, the Cofradía de los Falifos was founded. This is a brotherhood that is still maintained and that runs the pilgrims' hostel in the town. This organization was approved by Clement VI around 1342, being confirmed 100 years later by Eugene IV.
In 1506, Felipe El Hermoso, took this route to meet Fernando el Católico in Remensal.
As a curious fact of the Camino Sanabrés, it is that right here is the oldest known figure of the apostle Santiago in pilgrim's clothing. Dates from the XNUMXth century and is located on the façade of Santa Marta de Tera. It is extremely striking for its beauty, but especially for the mystery it represents.
In the image, the apostle has a pouch that is decorated with a shell, as well as a staff in his right hand. However, the most striking element of him is that his left hand is displayed as if he is waving.
In 1993, within the framework of the Jubilee Year celebrations, five pesetas coins were minted with this image of the apostle on the obverse side.
The Camino Sanabrés from Ourense to Santiago It has its starting point in the Cistercian monastery of Santa María de Moreruela. This is located at a distance of just four kilometers from the old Roman road in the surroundings of Granja de Moreruela.
In fact, here are still some remains of what was the door of the enclosure, as well as the pilgrim's fountain.
The Camino Sanabrés has a length of 364 kilometers in total, divided into 14 different stages. At Viajes Mundiplus, as one of the main agencies of the Camino de Santiago, we have decided to only operate the route from the emblematic city of Ourense, mainly due to the little infrastructure that exists from Granja de Moreruela. Below we indicate the different cities of the complete route of the Camino Sanabrés:
It has a 25 km extension from Granja de Moreruela to Tábara. From the starting point and after 6 km of travel, the Quintos Bridge, whose origins date back to 1920, is the first monument to enjoy. Advancing a little on the road we will arrive at Faramontanos de Tábara to end in Tábara.
It has a length of 23 km, passed between Tábara and Santa Marta de Tera. Here we will cross beautiful fields of crops, the town of Bercianos de Valverde, Santa Croya and finally Santa Marta de Tera.
Leaving from Santa Marta de Tera, with 36 km of travelIt is one of the longest stages. Here we will cross Calzadilla de Tera, then Olleros de Tera, Villa de Fardón and finally Rionegro del Puente, to give way to Mombuey, the final point.
With a 31 km extension, starts from Mombuey and stands out for its beautiful landscapes. Pass through Cernadilla, continue to San Salvador de Palazuelo, then Asturianos and Palacios de Sanabria. Finally, he arrives in Puebla de Sanabria.
Puebla de Sanabria is the starting point of these 28 km. It is one of the most difficult stages for the large number of existing promotions. It passes through Padornelo and ends in Lubián.
With 25 km in total, is one of the most famous. Gone is Castilla y León and Galicia welcomes us with its wonderful landscapes, full of forests. Here we will pass through A Vilavella, one of the border towns, continuing through O Pereiro and O Canizo, until finally reaching the beautiful A Gudiña, the end point of the day.
The starting point of this 34 km stage It's A Gudina. A little further on is Campobecerros, Portocamba and finally Laza, where the stage ends.
Starting from Laza, Sutelo Verde is the first city to visit. This stage is largely marked by the river Támega up to Alberguería. Continue to O Veredo and then continue to Vilar do Barrio. This is one of the most urban landscapes of the route until entering Cima de Vila, the penultimate town before Xunqueira de Ambía.
From Xunqueira de Ambía, we continue towards Salgueiros, passing through different municipalities and small towns until reaching A Castellana. Here, the landscape changes abruptly from natural to urban until reaching Ourense, the end point of the 22 km of the stage.
The city of Ourense is the starting point of this 22km course. Here we have the option of going through Canedo or choosing Tamallancos, quite similar, both in distance and in scenery.
In Canedo we will cross Castro de Beiro, then go to Mandrás and finally Cea. In Tamallancos, we will go through Bouzas, Viduedo and finally Cea.
27 km stage. From Cea, we will go to Castro Dozón, Santo Domingo, Pontenoufe and A Xesta before finishing in Lalin.
short stage and low intensity de 15 km. We will pass through the town of A Laxe and end up passing through Silleda,
It is the penultimate stage of the Camino Sanabrés, with a layout, only 19,7 km of travel. We will go through villages such as Riocalvo, Bandeira, Dornelas, O Seixo and San Miguel de Castro. This stretch is loaded with nature. until finally reaching Outeiro.
Strong ascent to Outeiro and passes through Rubial and Susana. After completing half the route, from a total of 20,9 km, we will pass through Vixoi and Angrois, to finally give way to Santiago de Compostela.
