We have discussed Saint Andrew on this blog before and the mysterious and supernatural occurrences surrounding his holy day, November 30th, in Eastern Europe. It is a night for divination, magic and it is believed by many, even today, that witches, werewolves and vampires are at their most power. Andrew was the first called of the apostles who undertook a vigorous mission of evangelization and eventually met martyrdom in the city of Patras being crucified on an X shaped cross that eventually became known as a Saint Andrews cross which is a ubiquitous symbol in Saint Andrew’s iconography. It is understandable that St. Andrew would have such a strong following in the east since according to Christian tradition he travelled extensively in what is today Romania, Ukraine and the Balkan regions of Europe and evangelized the local people. Saint Andrew does have a following in Western Christianity as well. Today I would like to explore the devotion to Saint Andrew that exists in the Galician village of San Andrés de Teixido, in northwestern Spain, to where many devotees make a pilgrimage seeking his miraculous intercession.
San Andrés de Teixido is a small village in the Galician region of Spain with a population of only forty-nine inhabitants yet thousands of pilgrims and curious tourists flock there each year to make the pilgrimage to the church dedicated to Saint Andrew seeking his help or in fulfillment of a promise made to him. There is a popular saying in the Galician language in regards to the pilgrimage to San Andrés, vai de morto quen non foi de vivo, those who didn’t go there in life, will go in death, meaning that if the promise to visit the church of Saint Andrew has not been fulfilled during one’s life, it must be undertook after death is spiritual form before one can go on to a happy afterlife. According to local lore, it is said that many souls of the departed make the pilgrimage to San Andrés in the form of frogs and salamanders. It is even possible for people to make the pilgrimage on behalf of deceased friends and loved ones for the benefit of their souls. Such a custom has existed at least since the Middle Ages as evidenced in the will of a wealthy Galician woman dating from 1391:
I ask that a pilgrimage be undertaken to San Andrés de Teixido, because I have promised it to him, and that a candle be placed on the altar in the shape of a woman of my state.(English translation of original Galician from 1391) |
A popular tradition surrounding the pilgrimage says that pilgrims should bring a rock with them to San Andrés de Teixido and deposit it in one of the rock mounds called milladoiros located near the sanctuary and that on the day of final judgement the rock will speak on their behalf saying that they have made the pilgrimage to San Andrés. Another tradition states that the pilgrim should drink from the fountain located by the sanctuary grounds and make a wish and then throw in a small piece of bread. If the bread floats, then the wish will be granted. It is also customary to return from the pilgrimage with a ramo de San Andrés which is a small bouquet of local herbs and plants bound together that serves as a souvenir of having made the pilgrimage. Despite all the fascinating lore and tradition surrounding the pilgrimage, the main reason one undertakes the pilgrimage is to seek the intercession, protection and blessing of Saint Andrew whose example of faith, love and charity we should strive to follow.
I hope you have enjoyed learning about the pilgrimage to San Andres de Teixido. As always, I wish you peace, happiness and abundant blessings!
