The Camino de Santiago is a journey shrouded in mysteries and legends, especially in the magical land of Galicia. One of the most intriguing in Galicia is the legend of the Santa Compaña. But is it just a legend or does it have historical roots? What is the relationship between the Santa Compaña and Galicia and the Jacobean routes? We will discover all this and more in this article, will you join us?
What is the Santa Compaña and what symbolism does it have in Galicia?
As narrated by the historian Xesús Rodríguez López in Supersticiones de Galicia (1895), “the Compaña is the gathering of souls from Purgatory for a specific purpose”. It is a procession in two rows of suffering souls, deceased dressed in black robes and hooded, carrying candles whose light is not seen. Led by a main figure, the Estadea, they leave the cemeteries and wander barefoot every night led by a living person, chanting prayers and gloomy songs. This living person, rather a condemned mortal carrying a cross and a cauldron of holy water, must not look at it.
The “specific purpose,” the meaning of the legend and the purpose of the Compaña cited by Xesús Rodríguez are two. Related to death and penance, these motivations would be the announcement of a death (one’s own or another’s) or penance for committing serious offenses.
The poor one who receives the visit of the Compaña will wander with it every night, starting at midnight. During the day he remembers nothing, but it can be known that he is condemned by his extreme paleness and thinness. With each passing night and day, he weakens more until he dies. This condemned person will only be saved if, while processing, he meets another living person to whom he can pass the baton.
Illustration of the Santa Compaña wandering in galician forests.
How to Avoid the Santa Compaña?
Any mortal is susceptible to an encounter with it. They come out every night of the year, although on the night of St. John or on Samhain (All Saints’ Eve or Halloween) it is easier to find them.
They say that only those baptized with the oil of the deceased can see it, but anyone can feel it. If the night air becomes dense, smells of burnt wax, you hear little bells, dogs bark a lot and cats are scared, run! However, if you have been careless and it catches you, you still have options to avoid the Santa Compaña.
The procession will approach you, with the condemned in front, who will offer you the cross. Do not look, reject it, pray and open your arms in the form of a cross and invoke Jesus Christ or say “I already have a cross“. You can even cross your arms, but never take the cross. If you carry things with you, carry them in your hand and do not look. You can also draw a hexagram or a circle on the ground with chalk and salt and lie down inside without looking until it passes.
If you’re lucky and there’s a cruceiro nearby, climb up one of its steps. These monumental Galician stone crosses are located precisely at crossroads to protect from the Compaña. They serve as protection for the living, locals or foreigners, as well as for pilgrims in the history of the Camino de Santiago: they used to sleep near cruceiros.
In Galicia, with about 12,000 cruceiros like the one in Lameiros, on the French Way, you can protect yourself and avoid the Santa Compaña.
Movies and TV Shows About the Santa Compaña
The Santa Compaña has captured the imagination in popular culture, and appears in literature, music, and film. In movies such as El liguero mágico (Mariano Ozores, 1980), El bosque animado (José Luis Cuerda, 1987), or O Apóstolo (Fernando Cortizo, 2012) it is mentioned. Likewise, television series such as El punto frío (RTVE, 2018) or the program Cuarto Milenio (Iker Jiménez, 2022) even have it as a protagonist or dedicate an episode to it.
The Santa Compaña has a captivating power over the pilgrims of the Camino de Santiago. Be careful, as it has nothing holy about it, and if you decide to do the Camino and it appears to you, follow our advice to avoid it.
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