"History of Portomarín" Mural

Portomarín is practically synonymous with the Way of St James (Camino de Santiago), which makes it entirely logical for the central figure of this mural to be a pilgrim displaying his traditional manner of dress.

His wide-brimmed hat, scallop shell, shoulder bag, and walking stick with gourd were all characteristic elements of pilgrims during the Middle Ages.

Do you recognise him? This pilgrim was inspired by the man known as Zapatones, who for years was a common sight in Praza do Obradoiro square in Santiago de Compostela, dressed in this way.

Behind the Pilgrim we can see two elements from historic town of Portomarín. The town we see today was moved stone-by-stone to avoid being submerged when the Belesar dam was built. Here we see the Church of San Xoán or San Nicolás standing along the broad boulevard known as the Alameda, and next to it is the old bridge, which can still be seen when the level of the reservoir becomes low enough.

Mural created in 2016 by Abraham Caride (Abrah) as part of the project "A Touch of Colour in Ribeira Sacra".