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Cape Finisterre

Coordinates:42°52′57″N9°16′20″W/ 42.88250°N 9.27222°W/42.88250; -9.27222
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"Finisterra" redirects here. For other uses, seeFinisterre (disambiguation).
Cape Finisterre
Cape
Finisterre on the Atlantic coast of Galicia
Finisterre on the Atlantic coast of Galicia
Coordinates:42°52′57″N9°16′20″W/ 42.88250°N 9.27222°W/42.88250; -9.27222
LocationGalicia,Spain
Offshore water bodiesAtlantic Ocean

Cape Finisterre(/ˌfɪnɪˈstɛər/,[1][2]alsoUS:/-tɛri/;[3]Galician:Cabo Fisterra[fisˈtɛrɐ];Spanish:Cabo Finisterre[finisˈtere]) is a rock-boundpeninsulaon the west coast ofGalicia,Spain.[4]

In Roman times it was believed to be an end of the known world. The name Finisterre, like that ofFinistèreinFrance,derives from theLatinfinis terrae,meaning "end of the earth". It is sometimes said to be the westernmost point of theIberian Peninsula.However,Cabo da RocainPortugalis about 16.5 kilometres (10.3 mi) farther west and thus the westernmost point ofcontinental Europe.Even in SpainCabo Touriñánis 124 metres (135 yards) farther west.

Monte Facho is the name of the mountain on Cape Finisterre, which has a peak that is 238 metres (781 ft) above sea level. Aprominent lighthouseis at the top of Monte Facho. The seaside town ofFisterrais nearby.

TheArtabriwere an ancient GallaecianCeltic tribethat once inhabited the area.

Geography[edit]

Cape Finisterre has several beaches, including O Rostro, Arnela, Mar de Fora, Langosteira, Riveira, and Corbeiro. Many of the beaches are framed by steep cliffs leading down to theMare Tenebrosum(or dark sea, the name of theAtlanticin theMiddle Ages). The peninsula contains the port and municipality ofFisterra.

There are several rocks in this area associated with religious legends, such as the "holy stones", the "stained wine stones", the "stone chair", and the tomb of theCelticcrone-goddessOrcabella.[5]

Pilgrimage[edit]

The Camino Way, Cape Finisterre

Cape Finisterre is the final destination for manypilgrimson theWay of St. James,thepilgrimageto the shrine of theapostleSaint James the Greatin theCathedral of Santiago de Compostela.[6]Cape Finisterre is about 90 km (50 miles) fromSantiago de Compostela.

The origin of the pilgrimage to Finisterre is not certain. However, it is believed to date from pre-Christian times and was possibly associated with Finisterre's status as the "edge of the world" and a place to see the last sun of the day.[7]The tradition continued in medieval times, when "hospitals" were established to cater to pilgrims along the route from Santiago de Compostela to Finisterre.[8]

Some pilgrims continue on toMuxía,which is a day's walk away.[9]

Gallery[edit]

Pre-Christian beliefs[edit]

In the area there are many pre-Christian sacred locations, connected to a variety of myths.[10]There was an "Altar Soli" on Cape Finisterre,[11]where theCeltsengaged in sun worship and assorted rituals.[12][13]

Greco-Roman historians called the local residents of Cape Finisterre the "Nerios".[14]Monte Facho was the place where the Celtic Nerios fromDuio[gl][15]carried out their offerings and rites in honor of the sun. Monte Facho is the site of current archaeological investigations and there is evidence of habitation on Monte Facho circa 1000 BCE.[16]There is aRoman Roadto the top of Monte Facho and the remnants of ancient structures on the mountain.[17]

San Guillerme, also known as St. William ofPenacorada,[18]lived in a house located on Monte Facho. Near San Guillerme's house is a stone now known as "St William's Stone" (Pedra de San Guillerme). Sterile couples used to copulate on St. William's Stone to try to conceive, following a Celtic rite of fertility.[11]

Maritime history[edit]

ThePhoenicianssailed from this cape to trade withBronze Age Britain,with a possible point of landing for the Phoenician traders beingMount Batten.[19]

As it is a prominent landfall on the route fromnorthern Europeto theMediterranean,several naval battlestook place near the Cape. Notable battles include theFirst Battle of Cape Finisterrein 1747 during theWar of the Austrian Successionand theBattle of Cape Finisterrein 1805 during theNapoleonic Wars.Both these battles were between theBritish Royal Navyand theFrench Navy,who were constantly battling forcontrol of seasduring the 18th century.[citation needed]The coast, known locally as theCosta da Morte(Death Coast),[20]has been the site of numerousshipwrecksand founderings, including that of the BritishironcladHMSCaptain,leading to the loss of nearly 500 lives, in 1870.[21]

Additionally, laws governing the colonies of theBritish Empire(including the 1766 amendment to theSugar Actof 1764) used the latitude of Cape Finisterre as the latitude past which certain goods could not be shipped north directly between British colonies. For instance, it was forbidden to shipsugar canedirectly fromJamaicatoNova Scotia,as such a transaction crossed through this latitude. Instead, the laws required that the sugar cane be shipped first from Jamaica toBritain,where it would be re-exported to Nova Scotia.

Likewise, the latitude of Cape Finisterre was used to signal that achange of flags flown by Norwegian and Swedish merchant shipswas required.[citation needed]Following independence and the subsequent union with Sweden in 1814, Norwegian merchant ships were required to fly the Swedish flag (until 1818) and the Swedish flag with the Norwegian (the Dannebrog with the Norwegian lion) flag in thecanton.From 1818 to 1821, Swedish merchant ships also flew this flag in place of theSwedish flag(until 1844) when sailing south of Cape Finisterre.

Finisterre was the former name of the currentFitzRoysea area used in theUKShipping Forecast.It was renamed FitzRoy in 2002 (in honour of the founder of theMet Office) to avoid confusion with the smaller sea area of the same name featuring in the marine forecasts produced by the French and Spanish meteorological offices.[citation needed]

In the 2010s and 2020s, the waters of Cape Finisterrre have been the venue for severalorcaattacks againstsailboatsatAtlantic Ocean.[22]

In popular culture[edit]

  • In theGilbert & SullivanoperettaRuddigore,Richard Dauntless sings of shipping out in "a revenue sloop" and encountering a French merchantman "off Cape Finistere."
  • In the filmNight Train to Lisbon(2013), Amadeu and Estafania spend the night and the morning in the car at Cape Finisterre. Then, Amadeu is shown sitting on the cliff writing his memoirs on which the film centers.
  • InWalter Farley's bookThe Black Stallion,a ship is last mentioned sailing north toward England "off Cape Finisterre on the coast of Spain" before foundering in a night storm.

Literature[edit]

  • Sánchez-Carretero, Christina, ed. (2015).Walking to the End of the World. Heritage, Pilgrimage and the Camino to Finisterre.GeoJournal Library. Vol. 117. New York: Springer.doi:10.1007/978-3-319-20212-9.ISBN978-3-319-20212-9.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^"Finisterre".Collins English Dictionary.HarperCollins.Retrieved17 July2019.
  2. ^"Finisterre, Cape".LexicoUK English Dictionary.Oxford University Press.Archived fromthe originalon 2022-08-28.
  3. ^"Finisterre, Cape".Merriam-Webster Dictionary.Retrieved17 July2019.
  4. ^Photograph of Cape Finisterre, seen from the air, facing north
  5. ^Orcabella is aCelticgoddessthat takes the form of a hag and has a prodigious sexual appetite. Humans cannot hurt Orcabella; they only see her or feel her. Orcabella has many features that are similar to theIrishcrone-goddess,Cailleach Bhéirre(LA MITOLOGÍA Y EL FOLKLORE DE GALICIA Y LAS REGIONES CÉLTICAS DEL NOROESTE EUROPEO ATLÁNTICOArchived2017-05-11 at theWayback Machine,Manuel ALBERRO, Inst. of Cornish Studies,University of Exeter)
  6. ^"Cape Finisterre - Galicia".
  7. ^Mira Pérez, Jorge (2016)."The last sunset on mainland Europe".Cartography and Geographic Information Science.
  8. ^"The way of Saint James".
  9. ^"The Fisterra and Muxía way".
  10. ^Peter Jan Margry, 'Imagining an end of the world. Histories and Mythologies of the Santiago-Finisterre Connection', in: Christina Sánchez-Carretero (ed.), Walking to the End of the World. Heritage, Pilgrimage and the Camino to Finisterre (New York: Springer, 2015) p. 32-52
  11. ^abJustel, César (14 April 2008)."Galicia mágica Ritos y piedras".ABC.Vocento.Retrieved25 March2019.
  12. ^Conde, Arturo (2006)."Finisterre or The End of the World - Finisterre, Galicia, Spain".BootsnAll Travel Network.Archived fromthe originalon 3 May 2016.Retrieved25 March2019.
  13. ^"Fisterra".Finisterrae.Retrieved26 May2015.
  14. ^"History of Corcubion".Corcubion City Council's Website.Archived fromthe originalon 27 September 2007.Retrieved25 March2019.
  15. ^"Entrance to the Land´s End in the Fisterra´s peninsula, legendary parishes of San Martiño and San Vicente of Duio have got the Fisterra´s solitude and dramatic beauty atmosphere".finisterrae.6 October 2008. Archived fromthe originalon 6 October 2008.Retrieved3 April2018.
  16. ^"Arqueología".Vigo en Fotos(in Spanish).Retrieved25 March2019.
  17. ^Sweetkinky (20 December 2005)."Monte Facho".Google Earth Community.Archivedfrom the original on 7 October 2008.Retrieved25 March2019.
  18. ^"St. William of Penacorada".Catholic online.Retrieved25 March2019.
  19. ^Hawkins, Christopher (1811).Observations on the Tin Trade of the Ancients in Cornwall.London:Oxford University.pp.93.Retrieved21 March2015.
  20. ^"Stricken oil tanker sinks".BBC News.BBC.19 November 2002.Retrieved25 March2019.
  21. ^"H.M.S. 'Captain' wood fragment".Royal Museums Greenwich.National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, Royal United Service Institution Collection.Retrieved25 January2022.
  22. ^Jones, Sam (24 September 2020)."'They were having a real go': man tells of orca encounter off Spain ".The Guardian.Retrieved26 September2023.

External links[edit]

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