El Pedrón is a Roman granite Ara, dedicated to the God Neptune, God of the sea, which was probably built in the XNUMXnd century and gives its name to the city of Padron located in the Portuguese Way from Tui.
The following inscription appears on it: “NO ORIS ESES DSP”, which is interpreted as “To Neptune, the Iriense Forum, with his money” or “To Neptune, the Orieses put this monument at their expense” (since numerous letters erased with the wear and tear of time and by the medieval custom of embracing the “stone” by the pilgrims who carried out organized trips to the Camino de Santiago.
It was used to moor boats in the outer port of Iria Flavia, by the Phoenicians and, according to tradition, the “Pedron” was used to moor the boat that transported the body of the Apostle Santiago from Palestine to Galicia. It could be considered part of the millennial pier of Iria Flavia. For this reason, the great transcendence and importance that the city of Padrón had, in the first years of pilgrimage, was derived and, in fact, among the pilgrims the following saying was heard: “Whoever goes to Santiago and does not go to Padrón, either he does the pilgrimage or not ”
It is located under the main altar of the Church of Santiago de Padrón, which is located next to the Sar river. Many say that this is where the origin of the Camino de Santiago really begins.
Very close to it is, on a nearby hill, the Altar of the Apostle, Hermitage of Santiaguiño do Monte, in a rocky area where there is a cross and the figure of the apostle, where according to tradition he had been preaching to the Gentiles and where he had made the miraculous fountain that is under the hermitage, close to it, flow with his staff. In the Middle Ages pilgrims used to climb their steps on their knees, praying in each one of them, hell, heaven and purgatory as they called it.
You can reach the town of Padron on foot by doing the Caldas de Rei-Padron stage, or you can do the spiritual variant with La Translatio by boat, and the last 2,5 km on foot. Other pilgrims decide do the Camino de Santiago from Sarria as the first contact given its popularity, and later they go to the Camino Portugués where they can already see the Pedron.
