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The Pedrón

Padrón, Sar, A Coruña

1 Villages · 10 Monuments · 5 Nature · 7 Activities · 5 Curiosities · 5 Historical milestones · 3 Food and drink

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The Pedrón

Curiosity · Padrón, Sar, A Coruña

El Pedrón is a Roman altar dedicated to Neptune bearing the inscription NO ORI ESES D S P, interpreted as an offering made by the people of Ourense to the god on their own account; in the 16th century a cross was added to it and the name of the deity was replaced with that of the patron saint, thus christianising the pagan symbol. The tradition recorded in Book III of the Codex Calixtinus tells that the disciples of Santiago moored here the boat carrying the apostle's body, and from this the name of the town of Padrón derives. The altar is kept beneath the main altar of the church of Santiago de Padrón and appears depicted on the town's coat of arms; a replica exists in the French town of Noirmoutier-en-l'Île, a gift to its twin town.

Photo: Dodro (CC BY-SA 4.0)

What to see and do in Padrón