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Fisterrana & Muxiana

Eugene O'Leary

New Member
Time of past OR future Camino
May/June (2011)
To qualify for the Fisterrana & Muxiana, can I start my Camino in Santiago or do I need to complete one of the other Caminos in Santiago first? Information is a bit confusing.
 
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Just get a credencial in the pilgrim's Office in Santiago for the walk to the coast. You do not need to have completed any other route.

Whether you are going to Muxia before Finisterre or the other way round, you must get a stamp in Lires on the walk between Muxia and Finisterre to verify you have walked it and not taken the bus.

Buen Camino,

Mike
 
Welcome Eugene. You just have to walk from Santiago to Finisterre and then on to Muxia or Santiago to Muxia and then to Finisterre, you will also need to get your pilgrim passport stamped along the way. Either way is beautiful but finishing in Muxia is my reccomendation. You do not need to have done any other Camino.
Buen Camino.
 
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I just want to add that in Muxia you get your Muxiana at which ever Albergue you stay in. In Finisterre you get your Fisterrana at the Municipal Albergue whether you are staying there or not.
 
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Hi Eugene,

My understanding is that you get your credential at the Galicia tourist office (rather than the pilgrim office) in Santiago. There's more about this in an earlier thread https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/santiago-muxia-finisterre.28096/#post-231777

I got my Muxiana at the Bella Muxia Albergue in Muxia. It is also available at the nearby tourist office - and at other albergues.

Here's another thread that might be of interest to you: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...r-to-muxia-then-finisterre.37121/#post-355126

Buen Camino!

Nuala
 
Last edited:
When I walked in 2014, the Muxiana was only available at the Xunta albergue on the weekend. It wasn't available at every albergue.
Hi dougfitz,

In 2014 I got my Muxiana from the Information Centre, but in 2015 this had changed as the Information Centre no longer issues them. They are now available from your Albergue, and I got mine from the Albergue Delfin where I stayed.

Mike
 
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In 2013 I got mine from the Muni but I was told beforehand that it was available from the Ajuntamiento (though it was closed so I cannot confirm it).
 
In 2012 they told me at the Pilgrim office in Santiago that our walk had to finish in Santiago (in other words walk from Muxia back). We got passports in Muxia at the tourist office.
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Hi Eugene,

My understanding is that you get your credential at the Galicia tourist office (rather than the pilgrim office) in Santiago. There's more about this in an earlier thread https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/santiago-muxia-finisterre.28096/#post-231777

I got my Muxiana at the Bella Muxia Albergue in Muxia. It is also available at the nearby tourist office - and at other albergues.

Here's another thread that might be of interest to you: https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...r-to-muxia-then-finisterre.37121/#post-355126

Buen Camino!

Nuala
Hi Nuala,

In 2014 and 2015 I got a new credencial for my walk to the Atlantic coast when I collected my Compostela in the Pilgrim Office. I understand you can get it at the Tourist Office too if you like.

Mike
 
In 2012 they told me at the Pilgrim office in Santiago that our walk had to finish in Santiago (in other words walk from Muxia back). We got passports in Muxia at the tourist office.
Hi John,

Not sure which way you were walking.

The Muxiana is available when you reach Muxia walking from Santiago either directly or via Finisterre.

The Fisterrana similarly is available when you reach Finisterre walking from Santiago either directly or via Muxia.

If you walk from Finisterre to Muxia then walk back to Santiago, or walk from Muxia to Finisterre then back to Santiago, you can get a Compostela in Santiago as you have walked more than 100kms to arrive in Santiago.
 
To qualify for the Fisterrana & Muxiana, can I start my Camino in Santiago or do I need to complete one of the other Caminos in Santiago first? Information is a bit confusing.
Hi, We received our Muxia document at the beginning of September this year by going to the local tourist info / town library / art gallery! Adorable little building that is obviously meant to serve the community in many capacities. We were so happy that we made the decision to first walk to Finisterre and then finish in Muxia. It just felt right. Buen Camino to you!
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Please tell me you don't have to queue for over an hour at the pilgrim office to be able to walk on?
 
Please tell me you don't have to queue for over an hour at the pilgrim office to be able to walk on?
Hi Anemone, if you have walked into Santiago you don't need a new credential to continue walking to Fisterra or Muxia. You can just keep using your original one - that's what I did in June and September of this year.
 
3rd Edition. More content, training & pack guides avoid common mistakes, bed bugs etc
Just get a credencial in the pilgrim's Office in Santiago for the walk to the coast. You do not need to have completed any other route.

Whether you are going to Muxia before Finisterre or the other way round, you must get a stamp in Lires on the walk between Muxia and Finisterre to verify you have walked it and not taken the bus.

Buen Camino,

Mike
Better yet, spend the night in Lires. It's a lovely village and the food is great up at the restaurant in the village.
 
Slightly off topic, but I agree that Muxia just seems the best place to end a camino. It is, for me, just more 'right' than Fisterra, which is a bit too touristic. Of course, after Muxia, there's still the camino o dos faros - well, one day ...
 
Hi Nuala,

In 2014 and 2015 I got a new credencial for my walk to the Atlantic coast when I collected my Compostela in the Pilgrim Office. I understand you can get it at the Tourist Office too if you like.

Mike
Does one need to get another credential to continue the Camino from Santiago to Finsterrfe/Muxia? The Canadian credential has lots of space for stamps. Didn't use nearly all spaces in 2013.
 
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Does one need to get another credential to continue the Camino from Santiago to Finsterrfe/Muxia? The Canadian credential has lots of space for stamps. Didn't use nearly all spaces in 2013.
You're fine with the one you have.
 
Does one need to get another credential to continue the Camino from Santiago to Finsterrfe/Muxia? The Canadian credential has lots of space for stamps. Didn't use nearly all spaces in 2013.
No you don't need a fresh one. If you have enough spaces for two stamps per day on your walk to Finisterre/Muxia, then you can continue with the credencial you used to get to Santiago.
 
No you don't need a fresh one. If you have enough spaces for two stamps per day on your walk to Finisterre/Muxia, then you can continue with the credencial you used to get to Santiago.
Two stamps per day? Isn't that only for the lat 100km to Santiago?
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
Two stamps per day? Isn't that only for the lat 100km to Santiago?
If you are walking between Finisterre and Muxia in either direction, you must get a stamp in Lires. Apart from that, a second stamp during the day's walk is not compulsory for a Fisterrana and/or Muxiana.
 
To qualify for the Fisterrana & Muxiana, can I start my Camino in Santiago or do I need to complete one of the other Caminos in Santiago first? Information is a bit confusing.
Eugene, Last week in the pilgrim's office in Santiago, I was talking to someone who told me "Finistere or Muxia routes are NOT Caminos.... the Church does not recognize these as Holy/Sacred routes. What you get there (certificate !!! gulp gulp) is NOT a Compostela". The walks are absolutely lovely, though
 
Eugene, Last week in the pilgrim's office in Santiago, I was talking to someone who told me "Finistere or Muxia routes are NOT Caminos.... the Church does not recognize these as Holy/Sacred routes. What you get there (certificate !!! gulp gulp) is NOT a Compostela". The walks are absolutely lovely, though
Are you saying that of you arrive to Santiago having walked at least 100km from either Muxia or Fisterra you would not qualify for a Compostela? I would be very surpirsed.
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Are you saying that of you arrive to Santiago having walked at least 100km from either Muxia or Fisterra you would not qualify for a Compostela? I would be very surpirsed.

As JohnnieWalker has told us many times, if you walk more than 100 km TO Santiago, you qualify for the compostela. So if you walk from Finisterre to Muxia to Santiago you will have walked more than 100 km.

It is true that if you walk FROM Santiago to either Finisterre or Muxia, you will not qualify for a compostela, but that has nothing to do with distance, just with the fact that you are not walking into Santiago.
 
As JohnnieWalker has told us many times, if you walk more than 100 km TO Santiago, you qualify for the compostela. So if you walk from Finisterre to Muxia to Santiago you will have walked more than 100 km.

It is true that if you walk FROM Santiago to either Finisterre or Muxia, you will not qualify for a compostela, but that has nothing to do with distance, just with the fact that you are not walking into Santiago.
Thank you Laurie, I was quite surprised by what was being said.
 
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Are you saying that of you arrive to Santiago having walked at least 100km from either Muxia or Fisterra you would not qualify for a Compostela? I would be very surpirsed.
Back in June after reaching Santiago from SJPP I got my Compostela. Then I walked to Finisterre, Muxia and finally walked back to Santiago.

I then got another Compostela for the walk from Finisterre to Santiago via Muxia and a distance certificate showing 120kms walked from Finisterre to Santiago.
 
Are you saying that of you arrive to Santiago having walked at least 100km from either Muxia or Fisterra you would not qualify for a Compostela? I would be very surpirsed.
I don't know about the walk backwards. But out of Santiago to these two destinations, I was informed, doesn't get you a Compostela. This is what the Compostela says:

translations of the document.

"The Chapter of this Holy Apostolic Metropolitan Cathedral of Santiago, custodian of the Seal of Saint James' Altar, to all faithful and pilgrims who come from everywhere over the world as an act of devotion, under vow or promise to the Apostle's Tomb, our Patron and Protector of Spain, witnesses in the sight of all who read this document, that:
....................................................
has visited devoutly this Sacred Church in a religious sense (pietatis causa).
Witness where of I hand this document over to him/her, authenticated by the seal of this Sacred Church.
Given in Santiago de Compostela on the (day)................
(month)............
A.D..................

(Signed) Chapter Secretary"


In order that the Chapter of this Holy, Apostolic, and Metropolitan Church of Compostela, guardian of the seal of the Altar of St. James, might provide all those Faithful and Pilgrims who come from the whole world to the threshold of our Apostle, Patron and Protector of Spain, whether out of special devotion or in fulfilment of a vow, with an authentic record of their visit, I make known to all those who will see the present document that
.......................
has visited this most holy Church with piety and devotion.
In confirmation of which I confer upon him/her the present certificate, authenticated by the seal of that same Holy Church.
Given at Compostela, on
the .... day
of the month....
in the year of the Lord......

Secretary of the Chapter


The Chapter of this Holy Apostolic Metropolitan Cathedral of Santiago,
guardian of the seal of the Altar of Saint James the Apostle, for all the pilgrims who arrive from any part of the Earth with an attitude of devotion or to fulfil a vow or promise to the Tomb of the Apostle, our patron and protector of Spain, witnesses before all those that read this document that
……………...........................
has visited very devoutly this Sacred Church in a religious sense (pietatis causa)"
In confirmation of which I confer this certificate upon him/her, authenticated by the seal of that same Sacred Church.
Given at Compostela, on the
day ………………………….
month ……………..……….
Anno Domini …………….

Chapter Secretary
 
I don't know about the walk backwards. But out of Santiago to these two destinations, I was informed, doesn't get you a Compostela. This is what the Compostela says:

translations of the document.

"The Chapter of this Holy Apostolic Metropolitan Cathedral of Santiago, custodian of the Seal of Saint James' Altar, to all faithful and pilgrims who come from everywhere over the world as an act of devotion, under vow or promise to the Apostle's Tomb, our Patron and Protector of Spain, witnesses in the sight of all who read this document, that:
....................................................
has visited devoutly this Sacred Church in a religious sense (pietatis causa).
Witness where of I hand this document over to him/her, authenticated by the seal of this Sacred Church.
Given in Santiago de Compostela on the (day)................
(month)............
A.D..................

(Signed) Chapter Secretary"


In order that the Chapter of this Holy, Apostolic, and Metropolitan Church of Compostela, guardian of the seal of the Altar of St. James, might provide all those Faithful and Pilgrims who come from the whole world to the threshold of our Apostle, Patron and Protector of Spain, whether out of special devotion or in fulfilment of a vow, with an authentic record of their visit, I make known to all those who will see the present document that
.......................
has visited this most holy Church with piety and devotion.
In confirmation of which I confer upon him/her the present certificate, authenticated by the seal of that same Holy Church.
Given at Compostela, on
the .... day
of the month....
in the year of the Lord......

Secretary of the Chapter


The Chapter of this Holy Apostolic Metropolitan Cathedral of Santiago,
guardian of the seal of the Altar of Saint James the Apostle, for all the pilgrims who arrive from any part of the Earth with an attitude of devotion or to fulfil a vow or promise to the Tomb of the Apostle, our patron and protector of Spain, witnesses before all those that read this document that
……………...........................
has visited very devoutly this Sacred Church in a religious sense (pietatis causa)"
In confirmation of which I confer this certificate upon him/her, authenticated by the seal of that same Sacred Church.
Given at Compostela, on the
day ………………………….
month ……………..……….
Anno Domini …………….

Chapter Secretary

Hi, Purplesage, the answer is a few posts further up from this one. As long as you walk more than 100 km INTO Santiago, you will qualify for a compostela. If you walk 100 km from Santiago to Muxia to Finisterre you aren't walking into Santiago so no compostela. In this case, it is about the destination and not the journey.
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
@purplesage , of course walking away from Santiago doesn't qualify, the whole point being praying on the remains of the Saint on arrival. The OP was not asking about the Compostela but the Fisterrana and Muxiana, wanting to know if these could be earned independently of the Compostela requirements or not. And the answer is yes, you do not have to have walked to Santiago first to earn the Fisterrana and/or Muxiana.
 
As JohnnieWalker has told us many times, if you walk more than 100 km TO Santiago, you qualify for the compostela. So if you walk from Finisterre to Muxia to Santiago you will have walked more than 100 km.

It is true that if you walk FROM Santiago to either Finisterre or Muxia, you will not qualify for a compostela, but that has nothing to do with distance, just with the fact that you are not walking into Santiago.
@peregrina2000, yes.. the Compostela is for walking INTO Santiago to pray at the tomb of St James. Absolutely so.
 
Are you saying that of you arrive to Santiago having walked at least 100km from either Muxia or Fisterra you would not qualify for a Compostela? I would be very surpirsed.
Oh no. You would get a COMPOSTELA for this, since you walked to the site of the tomb of the Apostle. Most definitely
 
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I was in Finisterre and Muxia in September...first remember to get two Cello stamps a day and you can start in Santiago and use any credintial...the Fisterrana is available at the municipal albergue next to the bus station on the main street at the bottom of the hill...and the Muxiana is available at the tourist information office on the bottom floor of the public library (but that does not mean anyone at this office to help you during business hours) so the Muxiana is also available at the municipal albergue.
 
I was in Finisterre and Muxia in September...first remember to get two Cello stamps a day and you can start in Santiago and use any credintial...the Fisterrana is available at the municipal albergue next to the bus station on the main street at the bottom of the hill...and the Muxiana is available at the tourist information office on the bottom floor of the public library (but that does not mean anyone at this office to help you during business hours) so the Muxiana is also available at the municipal albergue.
Not sure when you walked, but in 2015 the tourist information office stopped issuing Muxianas and now all the Albergues in Muxia issue them.
 

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