Everything about Finisterra totally explained
Cape Finisterre is a rock-bound
peninsula on the west coast of
Galicia,
Spain.
Cape Finisterre is sometimes said to be the westernmost point of Spain. However, this isn't correct, since other locations in Spain are further west. Cape Finisterre is located at
. Cabo da Nave is about 5 kilometers northwest of Cape Finisterre, and is located at . Punta Laxial on Cape Touriñán is about 20 kilometers north, and is even further west, since it's located at . This part of Spain is also not the westernmost point of
Continental Europe. That honour belongs to
Cabo da Roca in
Portugal, which is about 16.5 km further west. The name of Cape Finisterre, like that of
Finistère in
France, derives from the
Latin name
Finisterrae, which literally means "Land's End".
Monte Facho is the name of the mountain on Cape Finisterre, which has a peak that's 238 meters above sea level. A prominent lighthouse is at the top of Monte Facho. The seaside town of
Fisterra is nearby.
Geography
Cape Finisterra has some spectacular beaches, including O Rostro, Arnela, Mar de Fora, Langosteira, Riveira, and Corbeiro. Many of the beaches are framed by steep cliffs leading down to the "Mare Tenebrosum" (or dark sea, the name of the
Atlantic in the
Middle Ages).
There are several rocks in this area associated with religious legends, such as the "holy stones", the "stained wine stones", the "stone chair", and the tomb of the
Celtic crone-goddess
Orcabella.
Pilgrimage
Cape Finisterre is the final destination for many
pilgrims on the
Way of St. James, the
pilgrimage to the shrine of the
apostle Saint James the Great in the
Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. Cape Finisterre is about a 90-km walk from
Santiago de Compostela. It is a recent tradition for pilgrims to burn their clothes or boots at the end of their journey at Cape Finisterre.
The origin of the pilgrimage to Finisterre isn't certain. However, it's believed to date from
pre-Christian times and was possibly associated with Finisterre's status as the "edge of the world". The tradition continued in medieval times, when "hospitals" were established to cater to pilgrims along the route from Santiago de Compostela to Finisterre.
Some pilgrims continue on to
Muxia, which is a day's walk away.
Image:Camiño de Santiago, Fisterra.jpg|Camino de Santiago, Fisterra
Image:Pilgrim's Boot - Finisterre - Galicia.jpg|Pilgrim's boot in Fisterra
Image:Fisterra.JPG|Fisterra lighthouse
Pre-Christian beliefs
In the area there are many pre-Christian beliefs and sacred locations. There was an "Altar Soli" on Cape Finisterre,
Greco-Roman historians called the local residents of Cape Finisterre the "Nerios". Monte Facho was the place were the Celtic Nerios from Duio carried out their offerings and rites in honor of the sun. Monte Facho is the site of current archaeological investigations and there's evidence of habitation on Monte Facho circa 1000 BCE. There is a
Roman Road to the top of Monte Facho and the remnants of ancient structures on the mountain.
San Guillerme, also known as St. William of
Penacorada, lived in a house located on Monte Facho. Near San Guillerme's house is a stone now known as "St William's Stone" (
Pedra de San Guillerme). Sterile couples used to copulate on St. William's Stone to try to conceive, following a Celtic rite of fertility.
Maritime history
Because it's a prominent landfall on the route from northern Europe to the
Mediterranean, several nearby battles are named the "
Battle of Cape Finisterre". The coast, known locally as the
Costa da Morte (Death Coast), has been the site of numerous shipwrecks and founderings, including that of the
British ironclad HMS Captain, leading to the loss of nearly 500 lives, in 1870.
Additionally, laws governing the colonies of the
British Empire (including the 1766 amendment to the
Sugar Act of 1764) used the latitude of Cape Finisterre as the latitude past which certain goods couldn't be shipped north directly between British colonies. For instance, it was forbidden to ship
sugar cane directly from
Jamaica to
Nova Scotia, as such a transaction crossed through this latitude. Instead, the laws required that the sugar cane be
shipped first from Jamaica to England, where it would be re-exported to Nova Scotia.
Finisterre was the former name of the current
FitzRoy area on the
UK Shipping Forecast. The FitzRoy area was renamed in 2002 to avoid confusion with the Spanish Finisterre peninsula.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Finisterra'.
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