Santarém - Golegã

Before heading to the next stage of the Paths of Santiago, Golegã, we must convince ourselves to leave behind the beautiful panoramic balcony of the Portas do Sol, with the viewpoint integrated into the old walls of Santarém, facing the river Tejo and the vast fields of Ribatejo. We proceed to the hidden Porta de Santiago gate, near the Igreja da Alcáçova church, and descend the slope towards the Tejo, along the Santiago sidewalk, with some degree of difficulty. In the riverside neighborhood of Ribeira de Santarém, where the railway station is located, we find the Igreja de Santa Iria church, which displays a wooden sculpture of a black Christ crucified but only nailed to the cross by one arm. After crossing the small medieval bridge of Alcorce, we meet again the fertile fields of Tejo's marshlands, in a succession of extensive farms, ditches and streams that lend a bucolic and muddy rural scenery to our progress along the Path.

It is an equally extensive and flat stage, like the previous one, with no difficulties worthy of note, that crosses the Vale de Figueira and Azinhaga villages. "Galega" (Galician) would be the name given to an existing “Venda” (Sale) in the place where the village was born, and the name Golegã resulted from "Venda da Galega" (Galician Sale). At that time, the site was highly frequented by travelers going from Santarém to the north, namely by the Roman road that connected Lisbon to Braga, through Tomar. Maybe that's why the horse has assumed a central role, along with the wine and the bulls. In November, the most important National Horse Fair in the country attracts thousands of visitors who come to toast to São Martinho with chestnuts and “água-pé” (Piquette). The stage ends next to the Main Church, adorned with a richly sculpted Manueline doorway, in front of which the old Estrada Real (Royal Road) between Lisbon and Porto used to pass. Behind it is the Tourism Office, where you can find out about the various options for your stay, which are expanded every year with new offers of hostels and other accommodation units specially prepared for pilgrims and travelers to Compostela. If you feel like, don’t miss to visit the Photography Museum Casa José Relvas, with a studio unique in the world, from the very beginning of image capture, and the Cultural Center Equuspolis, where it’s all about horses.