Old pic Priest on Camino

[MickMac]

Carraig an Aifrinn (Mass on the Camino)

• MickMac
• Aug 22, 2014

Carraig an Aifrinn

 

[MickMac]

IMG_20180709_095435.jpg

• MickMac
• Jul 14, 2020

 

[MickMac]

 

[MickMac]

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[stevepjq]

I'm trying to picture that scene of the mass. Is that just before Astorga?

 

[MickMac]

Think in retrospect I only walked as far as Burgos so mybe not.

 

[Kathor1]

Think in retrospect I only walked as far as Burgos so mybe not [= maybe it is not just before Astorga].

I am really curious and would like to know more about the first photo in this thread with the stone altar and the open air mass cerenomy, especially the location.

I assume that you took the photo yourself? Why do you label it: Carraig an Aifrinn (Mass on Camino)? Doesn't Irish Carraig an Aifrinn mean Mass Rock in English and does it not describe something typically found in Ireland where, unlike in Spain, there was religious persecution of the Catholic Church in Ireland during the 17th and 18th centuries, and such open air stone altars served as a location for secret and illegal gatherings of faithful attending the Mass offered by outlawed priests, see:

Mass rock - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Perhaps you can tell from the sequence of your other Camino photos whereabouts this photo was taken if you took it yourself. This stone altar is an unusual fixed structure for Spain with its numerous hermitages and small chapels scattered all over the countryside, and if it is on the Camino Francés I am surprised that it appears to be unknown on the forum. I've never seen this before or heard of it before.

It would be great if you would provide some background to this photo.

 

[HBS60]

I might be wrong, but the OPs initial pic reminds me of this place as I was walking from Torres Del Rio to Viana. I had just climbed a hill and I found this curious structure, not quite as it looks in the OPs picture but I remember trying to figure out its purpose. It’s from a different angle, and the OPs pic could have been of a different area just a few meters away. Or I could be wrong, of course.

 

[Camino Chrissy]

@MickMac, what an interesting set of pictures, and lucky for you to be able to witness that special and intimate moment.

 

[Theatregal]

The stone altar is at the Hermitage of the Virgen del Poyo after Torres del Rio just before Bargota. The first 3 photos were taken in September 2012 and the last one, the tiled image was taken in September 2023.

 

[HBS60]

The stone altar is at the Hermitage of the Virgen del Poyo after Torres del Rio.

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Actually, I wasn’t too far off. From my photo roll, I took a pic at the same place but it doesnt’ have the altar. I then went up the hill and found the run-down structure I posted earlier in this thread, maybe 1-2 Km uphill from your pic.

 

[MickMac]

I am really curious and would like to know more about the first photo in this thread with the stone altar and the open air mass cerenomy, especially the location.

I assume that you took the photo yourself? Why do you label it: Carraig an Aifrinn (Mass on Camino)? Doesn't Irish Carraig an Aifrinn mean Mass Rock in English and does it not describe something typically found in Ireland where, unlike in Spain, there was religious persecution of the Catholic Church in Ireland during the 17th and 18th centuries, and such open air stone altars served as a location for secret and illegal gatherings of faithful attending the Mass offered by outlawed priests, see:

Mass rock - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Perhaps you can tell from the sequence of your other Camino photos whereabouts this photo was taken if you took it yourself. This stone altar is an unusual fixed structure for Spain with its numerous hermitages and small chapels scattered all over the countryside, and if it is on the Camino Francés I am surprised that it appears to be unknown on the forum. I've never seen this before or heard of it before.

It would be great if you would provide some background to this photo.

Took them all myself 2013 Aus Annie was with me it looked a fairly recently constructed altar at time the priest was American, some pilgrims remembered him from past he walked with his curate in full priest outfit wide brimmed hat.

The stone altar is at the Hermitage of the Virgen del Poyo after Torres del Rio just before Bargota. The first 3 photos were taken in September 2012 and the last one, the tiled image was taken in September 2023.

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Still there wow.

 

[Theatregal]

Actually, I wasn’t too far off. From my photo roll, I took a pic at the same place but it doesnt’ have the altar. I then went up the hill and found the run-down structure I posted earlier in this thread, maybe 1-2 Km uphill from your pic.

Yes! Not far off at all! Here's my photo from 2012 matching yours

 

[MickMac]

@MickMac, what an interesting set of pictures, and lucky for you to be able to witness that special and intimate moment.

The priest and curate walked with our group he was going to a new monastery as far as I remembered.

 

[MickMac]

2013 walked with a group of Australians including Aus Annie they were back from senior world hockey champions not Annie.

 

[OzAnnie]

Australians including Aus Annie

Yes- I (OzAnnie) was walking with you at that time. I started alone.
The other 3 Ozzie’s had been in Turín competing in their age bracket of world masters for hockey .. something like that. I walked with one of those ladies all the way, but the other two went their own way / they were very religious and had expectations of a certain speed to attain - the eldest one carried a tonne of weight (books) in her pack. One was a huge bible.
Those two peregrinas were at that mass (in the pic).
It was Michael’s first camino. (My 2nd). He was such a hoot !! Talk about overpack.!! His feet had to finish by Burgos that year. They were in a very sad state.

I did see that priest and his curate ? in the cathedral in Santiago when I arrived later in September. 2013.

Great memories.

 

[JabbaPapa]

 

[Kathor1]

The stone altar is at the Hermitage of the Virgen del Poyo after Torres del Rio just before Bargota. The first 3 photos were taken in September 2012 and the last one, the tiled image was taken in September 2023.

@Theatregal, thank you so much for these photos. I have only the vaguest of memories of having walked past the hermitage (on the left) and this area with the stone structure and steps leading up to it (on the right).

I had imagined, merely looking at the first photo in the thread, that the structure was somewhere isolated on the top of a hill and that there was some connection to ancient worshipping, perhaps a Celtic connection. But I had mislead myself. The "stone altar" looks actually quite recent and there is no Celtic background story. I understand that the town of Bargota, to which the territory of the hermitage belongs, organises a pilgrimage on the third Sunday in May and a pilgrimage mass is then held "on the esplanade". I presume that this is the reason for the structure.

Thanks again!

 

[MickMac]

Yes- I (OzAnnie) was walking with you at that time. I started alone.
The other 3 Ozzie’s had been in Turín competing in their age bracket of world masters for hockey .. something like that. I walked with one of those ladies all the way, but the other two went their own way / they were very religious and had expectations of a certain speed to attain - the eldest one carried a tonne of weight (books) in her pack. One was a huge bible.
Those two peregrinas were at that mass (in the pic).
It was Michael’s first camino. (My 2nd). He was such a hoot !! Talk about overpack.!! His feet had to finish by Burgos that year. They were in a very sad state.

I did see that priest and his curate ? in the cathedral in Santiago when I arrived later in September. 2013.

Great memories.

That fills a few gaps Annie your compatriot is sitting behind priest if you zoom in.
It was my first Camino and definitely the "best" my poor feet looked like someone had taken a hammer a mashed them, never fully recovered.
I carried too much weight in pack and around my stomach the boots were wrong and the two socks a disaster .
Only made it to Burgos and sadly left on my own to Biarritz from bus station incidentally the bus did not come till 04.00 it was a nightmare.
Never lost the walkaway on last day of my Caminos I am a strange individual do not like goodbyes. Goodbye
Oops about the Oz bit. !!!

 

[JabbaPapa]

I had imagined, merely looking at the first photo in the thread, that the structure was somewhere isolated on the top of a hill and that there was some connection to ancient worshipping, perhaps a Celtic connection. But I had mislead myself. The "stone altar" looks actually quite recent and there is no Celtic background story. I understand that the town of Bargota, to which the territory of the hermitage belongs, organises a pilgrimage on the third Sunday in May and a pilgrimage mass is then held "on the esplanade". I presume that this is the reason for the structure.

I took a welcome rest there last year.

Yes, I understand that the local devotion is clearly the original purpose -- though it is just as clearly available for other open air Masses as time goes by.

I encountered several such open air altars between 2022 and last year, including some quite rustic.