There are countless legends about the Holy Grail – the chalice from the Last Supper, which some say the Apostle James took with him to the north of the Iberian Peninsula. This chalice is depicted on the coat of arms of the Kingdom of Galicia. Among all the stories – a mixture of popular piety, apocryphal accounts and a touch of superstition – there is one related to the Way of St. James and the Galician Holy Grail.
The Galician Holy Grail
About nine days’ walk from Santiago de Compostela, on the Way of St. James, you will find the small village of O Cebreiro. Its main treasure is the church, built by Benedictine monks in the early 9th century, clearly in the Iberian Romanesque style. It consists of three austere naves, a rectangular apse and a bell tower.
But an even greater treasure is what is housed in the church: the Galician Holy Grail.
GALICIAN HOLY GRAILPhoto gallery
The Eucharistic miracle of O Cebreiro
A tradition deeply rooted in northern Spain tells us that on a cold winter morning, at the beginning of the first year of the 14th century, a priest was celebrating the Eucharist on the altar of one of the side chapels of the church. Snow and wind made it almost impossible to reach the chapel and the priest did not think that anyone else would come to the holy mass. To his surprise, a peasant named Juan Santín came from the village of Baixamayor to O Cebreiro, wanting to receive communion.
According to the story, the priest (who had lost faith in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist) asked the peasant, "So much sacrifice for a little bread and wine?" At that moment, the consecrated bread and wine became the body and blood of Christ, restoring the priest's faith.
Pilgrims of the Way of St. James
The vessel with the bloody body was on display for over a hundred years. At the end of the 15th century, Queen Isabella made a pilgrimage to this church and confirmed the miracle in O Cebreiro. The news of it spread around the world thanks to pilgrims traveling the Way of St. James.
The miraculous chalice and paten are kept in the church in O Cebreiro, where there is also a mausoleum, where the remains of the priest and the peasant rest side by side. It is an important place not only for pilgrims, but also for lovers of medieval traditions and stories.
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