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Holy Cross of Bizkargi, 2019. Leire Zaldibar.
Along with traditional weekend dancing, celebrations held at hermitages were hugely popular in times gone by. Such occasions were for the vast majority a great escape from daily routine, a longed-for chance to move away from everyday life, and of course, a once-in-the-year opportunity to meet with friends from the surrounding villages which you would hardly see otherwise. (more…)
Loyola (Gipuzkoa). José Ignacio García Muñoz. Labayru Fundazioa Photographic Archive.
In a previous post we revisited sacred places popular with pilgrims as prevention and cure for sickness. On this occasion we focus on pilgrimage destinations for infertile women and children with disorders. These are old-time practices that have gradually been abandoned over the years.
Infertility was almost considered a disgrace in traditional society, and primarily, if not exclusively, attributed to women. Children were a blessing for the continuity of the family line, while providing a helping hand with domestic chores. Not surprisingly, married women eagerly yearned for a family of their own, and those who could not bear children sought the intercession of the Virgin and the saints. (more…)
Estibalitz (Álava). José Ignacio García Muñoz. Labayru Fundazioa Photographic Archive.
Health comes first. Disease prevents us from living a full life. According to Christian faith, God is the source of life, and as a consequence, it is ultimately him who preserves us and delivers us from sickness. Based upon that conviction, the sick and the disabled observed religious practices, attended worship, made promises and went on pilgrimage to certain hermitages and sanctuaries as prevention and cure for sickness. (more…)
St John of Gaztelugatxe. Bermeo (Bizkaia), 1994. José Ignacio García Muñoz. Labayru Fundazioa Photographic Archive.
This maritime sanctuary dedicated to the martyrdom of Saint John the Baptist has over the centuries been one of the most important pilgrimage destinations on the coast of Bizkaia. Pilgrims flocked here to pray, make a wish, promise, express their gratitude…, but also in search of unparalleled aesthetic and landscape experiences. The chapel and an old hermit’s house stand on the island, connected to mainland by a two-arched bridge. 232 stone steps along a narrow path lead to the hermitage, although tradition has it that there once were as many as there are days in a year. The quite inaccessible islet of Aketxe lies close. (more…)
Bilbo-Abando
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