Hospital da Condesa

The very name of this place makes reference to its Jacobean past. In fact, it is here that the most famous pilgrim hospital in the area was located and, one of the oldest on the entire French route. It gave shelter to battered walkers on their journey to Galicia. According to indications the Countess Egilo, the wife of Count Gatón, founded it in the IX century. This count from Bierzo played a leading role in the repopulation of the lands of Galicia.   The enclave grew as a result of its hospital and, its church of San Juan, linked to the order of San Juan or that of Malta. Like others in the area, it is of austere Romanesque style with masonry walls and a tower, accessed by an external staircase.