Sarria

Sarria lies on the French Way to Santiago, where the road brought pilgrims through the Galician countryside. The route fostered hospitals, bridges and inns, as well as religious houses such as the monastery of La Magdalena, founded in the thirteenth century. King Alfonso IX established the town as a royal settlement, but in 1360 Pedro I granted it to Fernando de Castro; it later became linked to the counts of Lemos. During the Irmandiño revolt the town's fortress was demolished, then rebuilt after the nobles regained power.