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14-479: Muxía is known for its beaches. It has an active fishing industry. Muxía is part of the ' Costa da Morte ' or 'Costa de la Muerte' (i.e., the "Coast of Death"). The Costa Da Morte was given this name because of the large number of shipwrecks along its rocky shore. The Costa Da Morte is one of the three regions of the Costa del Marisco , or "The Seafood Coast." Muxía is 3 kilometers from a famous Benedictine monastery that

28-578: Is also a local legend that the wind creates wild nightmares. The Costa da Morte includes Cape Finisterre (Galician: Cabo Fisterra), a rock-bound peninsula in the uttermost west of Galicia, Spain. Contrary to popular assumption, Cape Finisterre is not the westernmost point of Spain. Instead, the westernmost landmark in Galicia and Spain is Cabo Touriñán , which is found just to the north of Fisterra. Fisterra 's name, like that of Finistère in Brittany (France),

42-643: Is derived from the Latin word Finisterrae ; translating to "Land's End". This name was coined several centuries ago, when the Romans thought Cape Finisterre was the end of the Earth, as the American continent was unknown to the Western world at the time. Cape Finisterre has a notable lighthouse on it, and the seaside town of Fisterra is located nearby. Nevertheless, Cape Finisterre

56-541: Is in Muxía, the "Pedra da Barca". These are large stones that are balanced on a point, so that they can be moved back and forth easily, or even wiggle in response to the wind. These were used at one time to determine the guilt or innocence of those accused of serious crimes. There was a serious oil spill involving the oil tanker "Prestige" along the Muxía part of the coast in November, 2002, leaking about 70,000 gallons of oil into

70-469: Is not the only cape that Costa da Morte includes; one can also see Cabo Touriñán as well as Cape Vilán . The Rías Altas are located to the north. These are some of the towns, villages, hamlets and cities along the Costa da Morte: 43°06′N 9°06′W  /  43.1°N 9.1°W  / 43.1; -9.1 Muros, A Coru%C3%B1a Muros is a municipality in the province of A Coruña in

84-515: Is now used as a church, the Church of San Xulián de Moraime . The name of the town, "Muxía", refers to the monks who established this monastery. Another famous church in the area is the Santuario da Virxe da Barca which stands on a rocky ridge above the surf. There are several locations along the Costa da Morte that have a " pedra de abalar ", (i.e., an "oscillating stone"), or rocking stone . One of these

98-643: The Atlantic . In the 5th century and 6th century, Galicia was part of the Germanic Suevi kingdom. The Moors replaced the Germanic rulers, who were displaced in the 8th or 9th century by the king of Asturias . The monastery near Muxía was named "Mosteiro de Moraime" to honor the saint, San Xiao de Moraime, and was established in the early 12th century. Not long after, in 1105, it was attacked and destroyed by Norman pirates, and later by Saxons . Alfonso Raimúndez,

112-479: The autonomous community of Galicia , northwestern Spain . It is located in the comarca of Muros . It has a population of 10156 (Spanish 2001 Census) and an area of 73 km². The town of Muros is an old harbour town whose traditional economy is based on fishing. In the parish of Louro there are petroglyphs, as well as the Via Crucis, the monastery of San Francisco, and about 20 beaches. This article about

126-637: The Costa da Morte is exposed directly to the Atlantic Ocean . It is an area that has suffered a number of oil spills , including the spill from the Prestige in 2002 . The exterior cape region is known for anthropological, historical and geographical reasons. Its name in the Galician language is Fisterra , which descends from the Roman legend which held that this area was the end of the world ( Finis-terrae ). The area

140-417: The future King and Emperor Alfonso VII of León and Castile , had lived in the area when he was younger and was educated by Pedro Froilaz de Traba. Although he was only 14 at the time, Alfonso restored the monastery with a donation in 1119. The nearby church dedicated to "Nosa Senora da Barca", the " Santuario da Virxe da Barca " was originally a pre-Christian Celtic shrine and sacred spot. This part of Spain

154-635: Was Mary I . Muxía was destroyed in the 19th century by Napoleon ´s forces. 43°6′17″N 9°13′5″W  /  43.10472°N 9.21806°W  / 43.10472; -9.21806 Costa da Morte Costa da Morte ( Galician: [ˈkɔstɐ ðɐ ˈmɔɾtɪ] ; "Coast of Death") is a part of the Galician coast. The most common definition of the Costa da Morte states that it extends from Cape Finisterre to Malpica , although some may debate it extends from Muros to A Coruña . The Costa da Morte received its name because there have been so many shipwrecks along its treacherous rocky shore. The shore of

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168-573: Was discouraged. The Virgin Mary appeared to St. James to comfort him. The Celtic stones near the church are now said to be remains of the Virgin Mary's stone boat. Muxía was purchased by King Carlos of Castile (the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V ) in the 16th century so he could have a more convenient port, and thus improve his kingdom's commerce and connections with England , where his cousin

182-667: Was largely Christianized by the Catholic Church with the aid of a large flux of Christian pilgrims arriving on the Way of St. James . The people of the area still preserve pre-Christian ritual places and pass on some of the traditional beliefs. For example, there are giant pedras de abalar (i.e. "oscillating stones", the common term in English is rocking stone ) throughout the region. These pedras de abalar were sacred locations and used in various rituals that are remembered in local culture. There

196-522: Was resistant to conversion to Christianity , and was only converted in the 12th century. The Christians built a hermitage on this location at first, and later the present church in the 17th century. On December 25, 2013, the Santuario da Virxe da Barca was destroyed by a fire caused by lightning. Legend has it that St. James the Greater was trying to Christianize the local inhabitants and was having no luck and

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