Pilgrims on the road and friends along the way send me changes every day, and they go out the same day. The Vía de la Plata app carries all of it offline, and it's still being built — new features arrive routinely.
Get the appThe Colegiata de Santa Maria la Real is the reason to stop here, and it's a beauty. Founded in 955 as a monastery, it was handed over to Augustinian canons in the 12th century and achieved collegiate status in 1164. The church is transitional Romanesque with later additions, and it's considered one of the finest examples of rural Romanesque architecture in Galicia. Inside, an 18th-century organ survives -- one of the few in the region.
The name Xunqueira comes from juncal, meaning a marshy place where rushes grow. Legend has it that the Virgin appeared in the marshes here in the 4th century, which prompted the construction of a chapel and eventually the monastery. Whatever the truth, the monks who lived here provided shelter for pilgrims on this route for centuries.
The town has a Xunta albergue (one of the first buildings on your right as you enter on the back road), bars, a pharmacy, and basic provisions. It's a good stopping point with genuine historical weight.
The Colegiata de Santa Maria la Real was founded as a monastery in 955. In the 12th century it was donated to the Augustinian canons, and in 1164 it was elevated to a collegiate church. The Romanesque church, with its later additions, has served continuously as a place of worship for over a thousand years. The monastery provided shelter for pilgrims on the road to Santiago, and the current building retains elements from its 12th-century construction alongside 18th-century additions including a notable organ. The collegiate came under the Archbishopric of Valladolid.
After passing the church the camino turns right to follow the road towards Salgueiros, but quickly leaves the road to follow a side road and track down to the Rio Arnoia (0.9 km). It then climbs up to A Pousa along another track which turns off from the road shortly after crossing the river.
14. October 2024 - 16:03
We enjoyed a delicious menu del dia at Bar Guede today. The host was polite, and accommodated our little Spanish. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this bar
23. September 2024 - 13:29
The host at this restaurant was incredibly rude and unaccommodating to us foreigner pilgrims. After he dismissively explained the menu in Spanish (which I do speak some), we had some confusion about what was being offered (because it was entirely different from the photos on the Google business listing) and thought we’d see if any other places nearby had more options. We quickly realized there were not many other places to eat and came back, but he turned us away and would not serve us food or let us sit back down. I tried to explain that we were sorry for the misunderstanding and he just pointed to the door saying there’s no food for us here. Incredibly rude and unprofessional. We ended up being served delicious Spanish style hamburgers by a very kind woman at Bar Copas just up the street, which had a much more welcoming atmosphere.
6. June 2024 - 18:53
This albergue is clean, but somewhat disappointing, I stayed here two years ago and just recently, for an albergue on the Sanabres way , it has become the most expensive albergue on the Sanabres from Zamorra. The vast mojority are under 10 euros, most being 6 euros. Disappointing price hike..
Esta entidad ha sido beneficiaria de una ayuda del Programa de incentivos a la movilidad eficiente y sostenible (MOVES III), gestionado por la Xunta de Galicia a través del Instituto Enerxético de Galicia (INEGA) en el marco del Real Decreto 266/2021, y cofinanciada por la Unión Europea — NextGenerationEU, dentro del Plan de Recuperación, Transformación y Resiliencia.
