Até o fin | Turn to Occident

Walking towards the West, that is the direction that the Milky Way marks at night and the route of the Sun during the day: that is the Way to the End, to the place where the earth ends and the sea begins. Pilgrims arrive at Langosteira beach or Punta da Barca and the sight of the Atlantic makes them express their joy. The medieval Latin expression “Ultreia!" (Let's go further beyond!) seems to still resonate on the Way today. From Korea, Italy, Denmark, Catalonia, Brazil... From different parts of the world, people continue to walk here, seeking landscapes, people, places and reflecting on the interior of each one on this route.

Emilia Kim

"Emilia is my 'Christian' name," said this Korean woman, already a veteran of several pilgrimages to Santiago. This time she left from Lourdes, in France, and to Muxía she covered more than 900 km. What she likes most about the Way are the landscapes and the small villages.

Nina Wong

She arrived in Fisterra after traveling 200 km from Vilafranca do Bierzo, and took a picture with the lighthouse, in front of the Atlantic. Nina is Danish and enjoyed meeting other pilgrims on the Way, creating a relationship and friendship with them.

Roberto Gaudioso

Roberto came from Rome, but he came on foot from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, from where he left on September 21, arriving at Ponte Maceira (in the picture), on November 4, 2022. He especially liked knowing the small places that can only be discovered on foot.

Sergio Fujihara

The Brazilian Sergio Fujihara is from a Japanese family settled in São Paulo and arrived in Fisterra after traveling 900 km from Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, an average of 35 km per day. He highlights from the Way the internal knowledge, the patience with oneself, and looking within oneself.

George Grissapham, 1355

The noble Magyar George Grissapham made a pilgrimage to Compostela in the year 1355 to mourn for his warlike actions in previous years. There he asked for some secluded place to retire to pray and they recommended the hermitage of San Guillerme, in Fisterra, where he lived for five months, on bread and water. He published the book Visiones Georgii, the first written account of a pilgrimage to "the end of the world."

Sebald Ritter, 1462

This German patrician, son of another pilgrim, Peter Ritter, travelled to Compostela in 1462. He did so at the head of a large retinue on a trip that lasted 35 weeks and of which he left a written record. After spending some time in Santiago and ordering to restore a painting that his father had donated, he continued to Fisterra, where he mentions that "the body of the venerable San Guillermo lies, who performed many miracles there."

Martiros, 1491-93

This Armenian bishop from Arzendajan came on one of the longest historical pilgrimages of which there is record and he left a written register of it. It is likely that he made his way through the north of the peninsula and, after spending more than 80 days in Santiago, he continued to "the end of the world," to the church of Santa María das Areas, in Fisterra, being attacked on his way by the Vákner, a monster that, according to what he was informed, assaulted groups of pilgrims.

Doménico Laffi, 1673

This Italian religious man is one of the most relevant historical pilgrims. He came to Compostela up to four times and left a writing, Viaggio in Ponente a San Giacomo di Galitia e Finisterre per Francia e Espagna, one of the most detailed diaries of pilgrims. He says that he had the "whim" of visiting Santa María de Fisterra, where he describes the image of the Virgin and the Holy Christ of Fisterra, and tells a miracle that occurred in Cee.

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