Berobreo Sanctuary. Facho Ancient Fortification

About this heritage

The castro of Monte do Facho, in Cangas, with views of the Cíes islands, the island of Ons and the Costa da Vela, is known for its sanctuary of altars from the Roman era, from which more than a hundred shrines have been documented. On this site, located 184 metres above sea level, other elements such as ceramics of Mediterranean origin were found, in a circular hut of the inhabited area. The site, used in ancient times as a port by Phoenician sailors, is very close to the Barra roadstead. Numerous ceramic and anchor fragments, pertaining to the pre roman era, have been found.

To learn more

Throughout the centuries, the area welcomed different expressions of life in the region, beginning in the 10th century A.D., with a settlement built on the eastern slope, which remained until the 6th century A.D., when Galician fortifications appeared. This fortified settlement existed until the 1st century A.D. Part of the fortification walls, the moat and stones that formed its dwellings, and that today cover the slopes of the mountain, the rubbish dumps on the outskirts of the settlement and the current topography of the mountain, which derive from both the construction of the settlement itself and from the natural configuration, are still preserved to this day.

A sanctuary, later erected at the top of the mountain, brought together past beliefs of the former inhabitants of the fortification, contributing a new style, noted by the process of adaptation of the Latin culture in the region of the Roman Empire, called Gallaecia. The sanctuary was used to worship Berobreus. The most significant discoveries unearthed during the excavations of Mount Facho, were the votive altars, known as “aras” in Latin.

The pilgrims would climb to the top of the mountain to erect their shrine or altar there, a carved-stone column, dedicated to the god of Berobreus, appealing for health, as the Latin inscription of these monuments reads: "Deus lari Berobreo aram posuit pro salute"

These were modest altars, generally one metre high, although some exceeded this, reaching one metre and seventy centimetres. There are 161 altars, an accumulation which triggered the trend for narrower and taller monuments, forming what seemed to be a "shrine forest". There is no other site on the peninsula, where such a large number of shrines can be found. At the end of the sanctuary's existence, the area was abandoned, the shrines began fall, sometimes crumbling, and have remained so until our present era.

The sanctuary was located on a sloping area surrounding the top of the mountain. Column remains indicate the existence of a building but, to date, we can only appreciate a large open-air display of altars which occupies a great part of the area.

To know it better

The Facho mountain, situated in Cangas del Morrazo, is a location with privileged views and much history. The word facho makes reference to the fire which was light imitating a lighthouse to indicate, in this way, that land was approaching. Researchers found various rock engravings which prove the antiquity of the first human settlement on this mountain.

In order to get an idea of how the first inhabitants occupied its hillsides, we should go back in time approximately 2,500 years. The O Morrazo inhabitants began constructing their dwellings on the top of the mountain. It was the perfect location as, from the top of the O Facho, they could see the Cies and Ons islands, and thus control the vessels that were approaching the area.

Ascending toward the summit of the mountain, there are ruins of a Galician-Roman ancient fortification of irregular shape. They managed to build a village of about 200 buildings, surrounded by an internal and external rampant, with altars in its interior. Years later, it was converted into a sanctuary where pilgrims pray to the God Berobreus. To date, 60 dwellings, 174 shrines and remains of that era (coins, ceramic, glass and metals), have been discovered.