Reports from Miraz: 2005
Refugio de Peregrinos de Miraz: Newsletter 4th June 2005
We’ve made it! Welcome to the Confraternity’s second refugio! Refugio de Perigrinos de Miraz is a casa rectoral in the village of Miraz on the Camino del Norte, in the province of Lugo, Galicia.
Miraz is almost halfway on a lonely 40 kilometre stretch between Baamonde and Sobrado de los Monjes, a daunting etapa that in recent years has hindered the growth and popularity of this branch of the Camino del Norte. The Refugio de Perigrinos de Miraz fills that gap nicely.
The house is now chilly and bare, but it is in reasonable condition. It is already used occasionally by passing pilgrims, who have few other shelter options in the area. It’s easy to imagine future improvements. Downstairs is a big kitchen with an old-fashioned woodstove that invites a gathering. There is a single large bathroom, a living room, a large, long dormitory room as well as four other small rooms, all joined along a central corridor. The house is about 11 metres wide by 14 metres deep.
The casa rectoral has a pleasant aspect, set slightly above the roadway; the Camino passes just outside the door. At the back is a huerta of some 600 square metres, with fruit trees and a wide gate at the bottom end that gives access to vehicles. It is suitable for camping, caravaning, horses, and other livestock. There is a small garden and one dilapidated brick outbuilding which could be suitable for conversion into bathroom, washing and storage facilities.
Miraz seems a pleasant, well-kept village in a pretty and prosperous area; The villagers clearly take an interest in it. They helped create community sports and picnic facilities and are active in the church. Miraz is a long, straggling village, really three communities strung together. The new refugio is at one end together with the church of Santiago which has a statue of a Santiago Matamoros inside.
The countryside around Miraz is dominated by the River Parga; A large quarry nearby ships an excellent pale stone all over Spain. About 6 kilometres away is the town of Parga, with its broad river, Roman bridge, and a picnic area. It has a variety of shops, facilities, small hostelries and restaurants; all are fairly modest except for a pair of big modern hotels at the crossroads. Working parties can buy necessary materials and supplies there, and find accommodation. Hospitaleros may find a bicycle useful!
Parga has very easy road access east to Lugo, or west to Santiago and La Coruña by autovia and also by good ordinary roads. There is a train halt on the Madrid – Ferrol line, and regular buses to Lugo and northern coastal towns.
An advance party went out in May to install beds, stock up with supplies and make the refugio habitable. They met some of the villagers and the local priest. The bar is almost next door to the refugio and a very good relationship has developed with Pilar the owner! The Confraternity is providing hospitaleros between June and September this year.
Refugio de Peregrinos de Miraz: Newsletter 25th July 2005
Miraz Church – Photograph by Colin Jones
Just a short update! All is going well at Miraz. From 24th May to 13th July 175 pilgrims stayed with an average donation of €4.00.
The building has now been surveyed and is, as we thought, basically sound. It is proposed to convert a bedroom into a second bathroom with two toilets, one shower and three hand basins. Other work includes fitting a new electrical consumer unit and rewiring the property. Outside, provision is needed for waste water drainage and the guttering needs replacing. In due course, the conversion of the outhouse into a dormitory, shower block and utility room is a possibility. A telephone will be installed as soon as possible, although Telefonica are changing their system so there may be some delay.
Quite a number of large groups have been booked in this year and we have to honour these arrangements, but we are trying to encourage them not to come to Miraz and to restrict times for showers and cooking to allow genuine pilgrims some space.
In addition to looking after the pilgrims, hospitaleros have been busy decorating and gardening and it now looks much better. Alan Cutbush will be asking for volunteer hospitaleros for next year.
Angelika has moved to Cork, but will still be supporting the project. The fund raising group co-ordinated by Alison Thorp would like to hear if anyone is working for or knows of a company which might give a donation towards the restoration of the refugio or the rebuilding of the outhouses. £2500 has been raised so far, including £732 from Ian’s marathon in Edinburgh dressed as a “gaitero”. The main fund raising appeal will be launched in September 2005.
The building and contents are now insured, including public liability and personal accident and a bank account is being opened in Friol.
Two groups are going out in the winter, one in October to start on major projects and a working party in March to decorate and set up for the next season.
Howard is busy developing the website and Rebekah and Marion have been publicising the refugio and the Camino del Norte. We have begun contacting refugios, Jacobean websites and the Federation to let them know about Miraz.
We are looking for somebody to caretake the building in the winter so if you fancy getting away from it all please respond to the following advert which will also appear in the Confraternity bulletin:
| Caretaker required for winter months for the new refugio in Miraz, Lugo on the Camino del Norte. How do you fancy approximately 5 months (November to mid-March) rent-free in rural Galicia? Or a shorter period of one month or more. Would suit single retired person or couple, but they would need to be very self sufficient in this very rural location. Duties would include keeping the refugio warm, dry and secure; supervising any building works; affording access to the local priest on his official duties and any light handyman tasks. You would make your own way there and back and pay for your own gas, electricity, telephone and wood for the stove. Applicants will need to be members of the Confraternity. If you feel you could be interested please contact Alan Cutbush through the office to discuss the matter further. |
Refugio de Peregrinos de Miraz: Newsletter 8th November 2005
Sunrise at Miraz
The First Six Months
The first six months at Miraz have been very successful, from 24th May to 1st October, 894 pilgrims from 32 different countires (see the statistics) stayed at the refugio with an average donation of €3.51.
The hospitaleros under the able guidance of Alan Cutbush have done an excellent job, often in extremely difficult circumstances and many of them have begun to build good relationships in the village. The problems they faced were very varied, ranging from problems with the electrics, to a complete failure of the water supply, to dealing with difficult groups and not least of all a plague of rats. The electrical rewiring is in progress, the rats have gone elsewhere and the policy on groups has been defined to avoid future problems.
Special thanks are due to Esperanza and David Penberthy with Esperanza being a native of Galicia. They were able to help us understand some of the concerns the villagers had with the new refugio at Miraz such as the water supply, who pays for the electricity and the terms of our agreement with the Bishop of Lugo. Esperanza sang at the mass in the village church and we are now looking for hospitaleros who can sing in Gallego! As a result the Priest, Don Jose Ramon, has been paid for the electricity used since May, the terms of our lease have been explained in particular that we have not been given the property and arrangements have been made for a borehole to be sunk to provide an independent water supply for the refugio.
The Refugio
Electrical wiring in progress: a new power circuit |
At the end of October the property group went out to Miraz with Cristina and Paul Spinks. Cristina is from Cataluna and carried on Esperanza’s good work except for the singing. We were also joined by Gerald Heselwood who is a friend of the Confraternity and is rewiring the house for us. This has proved to be a very difficult job as the refugio is only wired for lighting. We organized the sinking of a well with the help of a water diviner, obtained quotations for a new bathroom and sorted out how to link up with the main drainage. We now have a new washing machine being plumbed in, compliments of the Rabanal Committee and a plentiful supply of wood,albeit green! We have three caretakers this Winter who are looking after the refugio and may be taking in some pilgrims as well as doing some work, they are Eugene Carroll, Conrad Halloran and Robert Mullen. Gerald will be staying until the electrical work is completed. There is a typical wood-fired Galician stove in the kitchen, which helps keep the building warm and hot showers should be a possibility. |
Reception
| A Confraternity group led by Marion Marples with the Chairman William Griffiths, plus 5 other members visited the refugio on 24th October when we had a reception for local people. This included the mayor and deputy mayor of Friol, Antonio the village council president, various contractors, Pilar from the bar, Don Jose Ramon the village priest and Don Jose Manual the priest from the Bishop’s Palace and some other villagers including Jesus a great supporter of ours who is 92 and puts us to shame with his energy. Conchi the Hospitalero from Baamonde also visited. Cristina and Paul Spinks who are involved with Rabanal helped tremendously. Cristina’s Spanish omelets and Russian salad were superb. |
Village President, Mayor and CSJ Chairman at the Reception |
The Church
Miraz church |
After the reception Don Jose Ramon took us round the church which is very well kept and he explained all the statues of saints of which there are many and one of which is very old showing three people. He was very welcoming and friendly. Miraz church is 200 years old and a typical Galician country church encircled by graves and dedicated to Saint James. We also visited a small church in a hamlet a kilometre from the centre of Miraz. It was older and less renovated with a wooden gallery. The villagers put a lot of effort into their churches and Don Jose Ramon does a lot of practical work himself. |
Pilar’s Bar
| This is one of the most popular places in the village. The hospitaleros as well as other groups from the Confraternity found Pilar very welcoming and hospitable. She has a good sense of humour and is easy to understand for those of us whose Spanish still needs improvement. Some Confraternity members have even started playing Chinchon a card game which is taken very seriously in Miraz. Pilar’s daughter who is a student also helps in the bar |
Cristina, Maureen, Pilar and Peter |
Fund Raising
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The Confraternity needs money to fund all improvements to the refugio and to cover the running costs for the next four years. The initial response to the appeal has brought the total raised to date to £22,000.
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This support is a great encouragement to all those involved in the new refugio and is much appreciated by them, as indeed it will be by future pilgrims visiting Miraz.
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Do you have any fundraising ideas? Do you have any personal contacts with trusts or corporate bodies who may be interested in supporting the appeal? Would you like to join the fundraising group? Or organise your own event? (It doesn’t have to be big – maybe a coffee morning with other pilgrim members in your area?). Contact the Appeal organiser.