Foncebadón

Template: Infobox district of a municipality in Spain / Maintenance / localidad

Foncebadón is a very small town on the Camino de Santiago in the province of León Autonomous Community of Castile - Leon, administratively it belongs to Santa Colomba de Somoza.

The place was a long time because of its location in front of the crossing of the Monte Irago, the Puerto de Foncebadón with the Cruz de Ferro, very important for the Camino de Santiago. A first mention there from the 10th century, built in the 12th century at the latest here the hermit Gaucelmo a hospital and a hostel for pilgrims: Alfonso VI. granted in a deed of 1103 at the request Gaucelmos the hostel Foncebadón and San Salvador de Irago immunity church. In the Middle Ages Salvador 's Church, a consecrated to St. John Hospice and the hospice belonging to the Church of St. Mary Magdalene is mentioned. Later, here is a dependent of Astorga hermit community settled down, at times there were also items and dignity of Abbot of Foncebadón.

In the war of independence against Napoleon's troops, the village was destroyed and then rebuilt.

At the latest with the rural exodus in Spain at the beginning of the second half of the twentieth century suffered the place a dramatic population loss, which ended in a population is zero and the place in the 1980s had become a ghost town full of ruins. The Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho placed in front of this backdrop the struggle of the narrator of his novel On the Way to a black dog that symbolizes the demonic.

The renaissance of Jacob pilgrimage Foncebadón rescued from total decay. Although only one population lives year-round back in the village ( summer revived it more), in addition to some private houses and the parish church of Santa Maria Magdalena but also a small hostel for pilgrims and two pensions were up or rebuilt. Since 2005 there is a modern water supply and sanitation.

On leaving the village towards Cruz de Ferro, you encounter the ruins of the Salvador Church.