A Spritual Experience

Hiking Day 27 May 5

Tineo to Borres

Miles 12.0

Total Miles 373.1

Ascent 1277’

Descent 1357’

Walking any Camino is an incredible adventure. Originally, the Camino to Santiago started as a Christian pilgrimage leading to the Cathedral of de Compostela and the shrine of the apostle Saint James. This was the most important Christian pilgrimage in the Middle Ages along with the pilgrimage to Jerusalem.

Today the walk is done for many reasons, including religious, spiritual, and tourism. It is not uncommon to have some sort of experience on the Camino which falls in the spiritual realm.

Perhaps today was my step into a spiritual experience of sorts.

About 5 miles into the hike today we came to one of the few side trails on the Camino Primitivo. The path lead from the regular Primitivo route downhill to a place called the Monasterio de Obona or the Santa Maria La Real de Obona. I had read a bit about this church and monastery, so we all agree it might be worth the extra kilometer of hiking to see what was there.

Santa Maria de Obona was founded in 780, originally as a primitive worship building and the current church began construction in the 13th century. The adjacent monastery has records of a monastic community as far back as the 11th century. The peak of the monastery was during the 13th and 14th centuries. The monastery was a mandatory pilgrim stopping point by royal decree of King Alfonso IX.

Suffice it to say that this spot has centuries of history. The current monastery building is now in partial ruins and dates to the 18th century.

As we arrive at the church, the location is quiet and serene. Two other pilgrims are eating lunch at a nearby picnic table but depart as we arrive. We have the entire place to ourselves. We take a few photos and like most churches on the two Caminos, we find the church door locked so we are unable to see what is inside.

Bill and Scot decide to head to the table to sit and enjoy a snack. For some reason I am drawn to the remains of the monastery building near the church. The building is long deserted. It is a maze of rooms and amazing old architecture. I am alone in the building. A place filled with centuries of history, centuries of monks, of pilgrims, of a king and his entourage.

It is at once eerie and inviting. As I moved slowly and quietly through the rooms, weaving inside and out, a part of me can sense what has happened here. The pain, the hope, the highs and lows of individual life.I feel a sense of those who were here before me, almost like I can hear the voices of the pilgrims and smell the smells.