Portomarín

The Igrexa de San Nicolao was built in the 12^th–13^th centuries by the Knights Hospitaller, who controlled and protected the important crossing of the Miño. Its battlements and corner towers give it the unusual appearance of a Romanesque church-fortress, while the main portal shows the influence of Mestre Mateo, the artist responsible for the Pórtico da Gloria in Santiago de Compostela. The church was dismantled and rebuilt here in 1962–63 before the old town was flooded, and numbers used to reassemble the stones can still be seen on its walls.

After crossing the Miño, pilgrims entering the town centre climb the 46-step Escalinata de Portomarín, which incorporates an arch from the old bridge. At the top stands the small Capela das Neves, another structure transferred from the old town before it was flooded. A modern pilgrim superstition says the steps should be climbed without stopping, or risk bad luck in love.