Among the sacred rocks that embrace the Sanctuary of A Barca, the Abalar Rock pulsates with a unique and fascinating history.
Located next to the rock known as Os Cadrís, it is a tangible symbol of the legend, the very part of the hull of the boat that brought the Virgin to Punta da Barca. Since the dawn of the “Virgen de la Barca de Muxía” Festival, this rock has radiated an aura of mystery, even being attributed ancestral powers linked to fertility, an echo of the pre-Christian beliefs that permeate this magical place.
Tradition marked the visit of the pilgrims with a ritual full of wonder: climbing the Abalar Rock and trying, with the strength of faith and hope, to make it rock. The first accounts of the festival even mention dances on its surface, a festive communion with the sacred rock. However, this active veneration, coupled with its exposure to the ocean’s fury, has marked its destiny. The Abalar Rock has succumbed to the force of nature on several occasions, with the first documented fracture being in 1978.
On the feast of Epiphany 2014, a violent storm dealt a new blow. The raging waves displaced the rock more than a metre, breaking off a fragment that previous attempts had tried in vain to make secure. Today, part of the legendary rock has returned to its original location, still retaining a slight sway, a whisper of its former motion. The other, an imposing three-ton piece, awaits in the atrium of the Sanctuary, a mute testimony of the force of the sea and the fragility of history, waiting for a future that will return it to its place or integrate it into a museum display.
