The Meaning of Stone Crosses on the Camino

Due to the fear of Santa Compaña you will find strategically places ‘cruceiros’ (stone crosses) all over the Galicia’s countryside.

Santa Compaña is the procession of dead souls wandering around after midnight and they are particularly active on crossroads in country lanes.

If you meet them at a crossroads you should draw a circle on the ground and step inside it to avoid being taken by the group. And never ever accept their candle if they offer it to you or you will be forever wandering Galicia’s country lanes.

So the purpose of the crosses are to help you escape the recruitment efforts of the Santa Compaña.

If all else fails, to keep you safe from scary spirits along the Camino de Santiago, we recommend you have a sip of Queimada (literally meaning ‘burnt’), a punch drink made of Galician spirited ‘augardente’ (fire water) mixed with lemon peel, coffee beans, cinnamon and sugar. A special spell is read out while setting alight the concoction so the Queimada will keep the bad spirits and bad witches away.