{{Short description|Peninsula on the west coast of Galicia, Spain}} {{Redirect|Finisterra||Finisterre (disambiguation)}} {{Infobox landform | name = Cape Finisterre | other_name = {{ubl|{{native name|gl|Cabo Fisterra}}|{{native name|es|Cabo Finisterre}}}} | type = Cape | image = Finisterre.JPG | image_size = 250px | caption = Finisterre on the Atlantic coast of Galicia | map_image = finis7803.png | pushpin_mapsize = 250px | map_caption = | location = Galicia, {{ESP}} | water_bodies = Atlantic Ocean | coordinates = {{coord|42|52|57|N|9|16|20|W|type:landmark_region:ES-GA_scale:1000|format=dms|display=inline,title}} | elevation = | area = | references = }} '''Cape Finisterre''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|f|ɪ|n|ɪ|ˈ|s|t|ɛər}},<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/finisterre|title=Finisterre|work=Collins English Dictionary|publisher=HarperCollins|access-date=17 July 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite dictionary |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/Finisterre,+Cape |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220828010814/https://www.dictionary.com/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=2022-08-28 |title=Finisterre, Cape |dictionary=Lexico UK English Dictionary |publisher=Oxford University Press}}</ref> <small>also</small> {{IPAc-en|US|-|t|ɛr|i}};<ref>{{Cite Merriam-Webster|Finisterre, Cape|access-date=17 July 2019}}</ref> {{langx|gl|'''Cabo Fisterra'''|italic=no}} {{IPA|gl|fisˈtɛrɐ|}}; {{langx|es|'''Cabo Finisterre'''|italic=no}} {{IPA|es|finisˈtere|}}) is a rock-bound peninsula on the west coast of Galicia, Spain.<ref>[http://www.lavozdegalicia.es/default/2007/07/09/0012A9BC5F48D4A6BC83005B9D445042711E/Foto/fisterra.jpg Photograph of Cape Finisterre, seen from the air, facing north]</ref>
In Roman times it was believed to be an end of the known world. The name Finisterre, like that of Finistère in France, derives from the Latin {{lang|la|finis terrae}}, meaning "end of the earth". It is sometimes said to be the westernmost point of the Iberian Peninsula. However, Cabo da Roca in Portugal is about {{convert|16.5|km}} farther west and thus the westernmost point of continental Europe. Even in Spain Cabo Touriñán is 124 metres (135 yards) farther west.
Monte Facho is the name of the mountain on Cape Finisterre, which has a peak that is {{convert|238|m}} above sea level. A prominent lighthouse is at the top of Monte Facho. The seaside town of Fisterra is nearby.
The Artabri were an ancient Gallaecian Celtic tribe that once inhabited the area.
==Geography==
Cape Finisterre has several beaches, including O Rostro, Arnela, Mar de Fora, Langosteira, Riveira, and Corbeiro. Many of the beaches are framed by steep cliffs leading down to the ''Mare Tenebrosum'' (or dark sea, the name of the Atlantic in the Middle Ages). The peninsula contains the port and municipality of Fisterra.
There are several rocks in this area associated with religious legends, such as the "holy stones", the "stained wine stones", the "stone chair", and the tomb of the Celtic crone-goddess ''Orcabella''.<ref>Orcabella is a Celtic goddess that takes the form of a hag and has a prodigious sexual appetite. Humans cannot hurt Orcabella; they only see her or feel her. Orcabella has many features that are similar to the Irish crone-goddess, ''Cailleach Bhéirre'' (''[http://webs.ono.com/garoza/G2-Alber.pdf LA MITOLOGÍA Y EL FOLKLORE DE GALICIA Y LAS REGIONES CÉLTICAS DEL NOROESTE EUROPEO ATLÁNTICO] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170511084841/http://webs.ono.com/garoza/G2-Alber.pdf |date=2017-05-11 }}'', Manuel ALBERRO, Inst. of Cornish Studies, University of Exeter)</ref>
== Pilgrimage == thumb|The Camino Way, Cape FinisterreCape Finisterre is the final destination for many pilgrims on the Way of St. James, the pilgrimage to the shrine of the apostle Saint James the Great in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.<ref>{{cite web|title=Cape Finisterre - Galicia|url=https://www.turismo.gal/que-facer/top-ten-dez-lugares-unicos/cabo-fisterra?langId=en_US}}</ref> Cape Finisterre is about 90 km (50 miles) from Santiago de Compostela. The name of this route is Camino Finisterre.
The origin of the pilgrimage to Finisterre is not certain. However, it is believed to date from pre-Christian times and was possibly associated with Finisterre's status as the "edge of the world" and a place to see the last sun of the day.<ref>{{cite journal |journal= Cartography and Geographic Information Science |title= The last sunset on mainland Europe |year= 2016 |url= https://minerva.usc.es/xmlui/handle/10347/18512|last1= Mira Pérez |first1= Jorge }}</ref> The tradition continued in medieval times, when "hospitals" were established to cater to pilgrims along the route from Santiago de Compostela to Finisterre.<ref>{{cite web|title=The way of Saint James|url=https://www.caminodesantiago.gal/en/discover/origins-and-evolution}}</ref>
Some pilgrims continue on to Muxía, which is a day's walk away.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Fisterra and Muxía way|url=https://www.caminodesantiago.gal/en/make-plans/the-ways/the-fisterra-and-muxia-way}}</ref>
==Gallery== <gallery> File:Camiño de Santiago, Fisterra.jpg|Trail marker at Cape Finisterre indicating the end of the Camino de Santiago. File:Cabo de Fisterra - Bota -BT- 01.jpg|Bronze sculpture of a pilgrim's boot at Cape Finisterre. File:Cabo de Fisterra - Faro -BT- 01.jpg|Cape Finisterre Lighthouse. </gallery>
==Pre-Christian beliefs== There are many pre-Christian sacred locations in the area; they are connected to a variety of myths.<ref>Peter Jan Margry, 'Imagining an end of the world. Histories and Mythologies of the Santiago-Finisterre Connection', in: Christina Sánchez-Carretero (ed.), Walking to the End of the World. Heritage, Pilgrimage and the Camino to Finisterre (New York: Springer, 2015) p. 32-52 </ref> There was an "Altar Soli" on Cape Finisterre,<ref name=abc>{{cite news |url=http://www.abc.es/hemeroteca/historico-14-04-2008/abc/Gente/galicia-magica-ritos-y-piedras_1641794094145.html |title=Galicia mágica Ritos y piedras |newspaper=ABC |date=14 April 2008 |access-date=25 March 2019 |first=César |last=Justel |publisher=Vocento}}</ref> where the Celts engaged in sun worship and assorted rituals.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bootsnall.com/articles/06-09/finisterre-or-the-end-of-the-world-finisterre-galicia-spain.html |title=Finisterre or The End of the World - Finisterre, Galicia, Spain |first=Arturo |last=Conde |work=BootsnAll Travel Network |year=2006 |access-date=25 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160503163137/http://www.bootsnall.com/articles/06-09/finisterre-or-the-end-of-the-world-finisterre-galicia-spain.html |archive-date=3 May 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Fisterra |url=http://www.finisterrae.org/info.php?informacion=32&idioma=en&sec=5 |work=Finisterrae |access-date=26 May 2015}}</ref>
Greco-Roman historians called the local residents of Cape Finisterre the "Nerios".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.corcubion.info/en/county/history.html |title=History of Corcubion |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927011519/http://www.corcubion.info/en/county/history.html |archive-date=27 September 2007 |work=Corcubion City Council's Website |access-date=25 March 2019}}</ref> Monte Facho was the place where the Celtic Nerios from {{ill|Duio (San Vicenzo)|gl|Duio, Fisterra|lt=Duio}}<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.finisterrae.org/web/articulo.php?pcoa=252&idi=I |title=Entrance to the Land´s End in the Fisterra´s peninsula, legendary parishes of San Martiño and San Vicente of Duio have got the Fisterra´s solitude and dramatic beauty atmosphere. |work=finisterrae.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006193348/http://www.finisterrae.org/web/articulo.php?pcoa=252&idi=I |archive-date=6 October 2008 |access-date=3 April 2018 |date=6 October 2008}}</ref> carried out their offerings and rites in honor of the sun. Monte Facho is the site of current archaeological investigations and there is evidence of habitation on Monte Facho circa 1000 BCE.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vigoenfotos.com/cangas/arqueologia.html |title=Arqueología |access-date=25 March 2019 |work=Vigo en Fotos |language=es}}</ref> There is a Roman Road to the top of Monte Facho and the remnants of ancient structures on the mountain.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/240923/Main/240923 |title=Monte Facho |work=Google Earth Community |access-date=25 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007023847/http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/240923/Main/240923 |archive-date=7 October 2008 |date=20 December 2005 |author=Sweetkinky |url-status=live }}</ref>
San Guillerme, also known as St. William of Penacorada,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=2137 |title=St. William of Penacorada |work=Catholic online |access-date=25 March 2019}}</ref> lived in a house located on Monte Facho. Near San Guillerme's house is a stone now known as "St William's Stone" (''Pedra de San Guillerme''). Sterile couples used to copulate on St. William's Stone to try to conceive, following a Celtic rite of fertility.<ref name=abc/>
== Maritime history == The Phoenicians sailed from this cape to trade with Bronze Age Britain, with a possible point of landing for the Phoenician traders being Mount Batten.<ref name="Hawkins 1811">{{cite book |last=Hawkins |first=Christopher |title=Observations on the Tin Trade of the Ancients in Cornwall |year=1811 |location=London |access-date=21 March 2015 |url=https://archive.org/details/observationsont00hawkgoog |pages=[https://archive.org/details/observationsont00hawkgoog/page/n51 93] |publisher=Oxford University}}</ref>
As it is a prominent landfall on the route from northern Europe to the Mediterranean, several naval battles took place near the Cape. Notable battles include the First Battle of Cape Finisterre in 1747 during the War of the Austrian Succession and the Battle of Cape Finisterre in 1805 during the Napoleonic Wars. Both these battles were between the British Royal Navy and the French Navy, who were constantly battling for control of seas during the 18th century.{{citation needed|date=September 2020}} The coast, known locally as the ''Costa da Morte'' (Death Coast),<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2487739.stm |title=Stricken oil tanker sinks |date=19 November 2002 |work=BBC News |access-date=25 March 2019 |publisher=BBC}}</ref> has been the site of numerous shipwrecks and founderings, including that of the British ironclad HMS ''Captain'', leading to the loss of nearly 500 lives, in 1870.<ref>{{cite web |title=H.M.S. 'Captain' wood fragment |url=https://www.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/rmgc-object-63341 |website=Royal Museums Greenwich |publisher=National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, Royal United Service Institution Collection |access-date=25 January 2022}}</ref>
Additionally, laws governing the colonies of the British Empire (including the 1766 amendment to the Sugar Act 1764) used the latitude of Cape Finisterre as the latitude past which certain goods could not be shipped north directly between British colonies. For instance, it was forbidden to ship sugar cane directly from Jamaica to Nova Scotia, as such a transaction crossed through this latitude. Instead, the laws required that the sugar cane be shipped first from Jamaica to Britain, where it would be re-exported to Nova Scotia.
Likewise, the latitude of Cape Finisterre was used to signal that a change of flags flown by Norwegian and Swedish merchant ships was required.{{citation needed|date=October 2014}} Following independence and the subsequent union with Sweden in 1814, Norwegian merchant ships were required to fly the Swedish flag (until 1818) and the Swedish flag with the Norwegian (the Dannebrog with the Norwegian lion) flag in the canton. From 1818 to 1821, Swedish merchant ships also flew this flag in place of the Swedish flag (until 1844) when sailing south of Cape Finisterre.
Finisterre was the former name of the current FitzRoy sea area used in the UK Shipping Forecast. It was renamed FitzRoy in 2002 (in honour of the founder of the Met Office) to avoid confusion with the smaller sea area of the same name featuring in the marine forecasts produced by the French and Spanish meteorological offices.{{citation needed|date=October 2014}}
In the 2010s and 2020s, the waters of Cape Finisterrre have been the venue for several orca attacks against sailboats at Atlantic Ocean.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/sep/24/they-were-having-a-real-go-scottish-man-recounts-orca-attack |title='They were having a real go': man tells of orca encounter off Spain |last=Jones |first=Sam |date=24 September 2020 |work=The Guardian |access-date=26 September 2023}}</ref>
==In popular culture== * In the Gilbert & Sullivan operetta Ruddigore, Richard Dauntless sings of shipping out in "a revenue sloop" and encountering a French merchantman "off Cape Finistere." * In the film ''Night Train to Lisbon'' (2013), Amadeu and Estafania spend the night and the morning in the car at Cape Finisterre. Then, Amadeu is shown sitting on the cliff writing his memoirs on which the film centers. * In Walter Farley's book ''The Black Stallion'', a ship is last mentioned sailing north toward England "off Cape Finisterre on the coast of Spain" before foundering in a night storm.
==Literature== * {{cite book| editor-first = Christina | editor-last = Sánchez-Carretero| title = Walking to the End of the World. Heritage, Pilgrimage and the Camino to Finisterre| series = GeoJournal Library| location = New York | publisher = Springer | date =2015 | volume = 117| doi = 10.1007/978-3-319-20212-9| isbn = 978-3-319-20212-9| url = https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-319-20212-9}}
==See also== *Way of the Lighthouses
==References== {{reflist}}
== External links == * [https://web.archive.org/web/20080209121704/http://www.galicia360.com/comarca-de-fisterra/faro-de-fisterra-peregrinos-puesta-de-sol.html A 360 degree view from the Fisterra lighthouse] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20080401000636/http://gospain.about.com/od/galicia/ig/Fisterra--Finisterre---Galicia.--gj/Fisterra--Finisterre---Galicia.--hR.htm Picture Gallery of Fisterra] * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyjcdbnlLtU Faro de Finisterre] video of Monte Facho * [http://santiago.forwalk.org/en/route/muxia-and-finisterre-way/ Free Guide for Hikers on the Finisterre Way]
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Category:Catholic pilgrimage sites Category:Landforms of Galicia (Spain) Finisterre Finisterre Category:Way of the Lighthouses