Hontanas is a picturesque and typical Camino village tucked away in a little valley – dedicated to Pelegrinos.
convent of San Antón de Castrojeriz, was owned by a community of monks from the little-known Order of San Antón, also called by other names: Order of the Hospitaller Brothers of San Antonio or simply Antonian Brothers.
It was born as a charitable group of lay people at the service of the Saint-Antoinede-Viennois hospital (Isère, France).
It was founded by Gastón and his son Guérin de Valloire in gratitude for his miraculous healing from the disease of ergotism (Fire of Saint Anton), through the intercession of Saint Anton Abbot – whose relics had been taken to France by Count Jocelyn of Chateauneuf.
Saint Anton known as the hermit or the abbot, was a Christian ascetic of the 4th and 5th centuries. His life was written by Saint Athanasius. We know about him -among other things- that he was born into a wealthy family in Egypt. Later, he sold his goods and became a hermit. His relics were kept for a long time in Alexandria before being transferred to Constantinople and finally received in France. The rapid expansion of this group in free territory was the response to the strong devotion that San Antón produced for his intercessory quality against this disease. It soon ceased to be a lay group to become an order made up of regular canons of San Agustín.
When San Antón cured the founder of his illness, he asked him to create a hospital to cure those suffering from the same disease, giving him a staff in the shape of a “T” (tau), which became a symbol of the Order (Antonians wore a letter tau on their robes) and an essential part of their ritual. ( info. extracted from an article called VIAJE A ASTURIAS
Onwards, then, along a newly constructed pathway to Castrojeriz
province of Burgos whose layout has been shaped by the French road to Santiago that crosses it.
It is located at the foot of a hill dominated by the remains of a castle, in which bloody battles between Christians and Arabs were constant.
Many monuments and the ruins of others are preserved in the town, a reminder of the splendor it had in the time of the Catholic Monarchs.
And it was
these bloody battles that gave Castrojeriz its name since the Arabic name was
Castro del Xaraiz , whose meaning is
bloody castro .
There are many interesting structures in this ancient pilgrim town.
Leaving Castrojeriz
A town whose population is diminishing and it’s only lively spot is our “ digs” for tonight Hotel Rural en el Camino.
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Some challenging climbs apparent on this stretch.
Who are your compañeros on this Camino?
Derm
The Camigos are all fellow Sutt