History
The Middle Ages
The name, «hill of joy», recalls the delight of pilgrims on seeing the towers of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela from here. According to tradition, the first of each group to arrive was proclaimed «king», the origin of surnames such as Rey or Leroy. Already in the Middle Ages there was a chapel dedicated to San Marcos on the summit.
Many pilgrims took off their shoes here and walked the last stretch barefoot and in silence.
Over time the chapel fell into decline, but the hill remained a symbolic place on the Camino Frances.
The visit of John Paul II
In 1989 World Youth Day was held here with John Paul II, who had made a pilgrimage to Santiago in 1982. The hill was developed to receive hundreds of thousands of young people, and today a large monument recalls those visits.
Where it is
At about 370 metres and less than 5 km from the centre of Santiago, Monte do Gozo is the last height on the Camino Francés; from here it is downhill all the way to the city.
Services
The Hostel Monte do Gozo, with several hundred beds, is one of the largest on the Camino, and there is a restaurant, a café and rest areas. The hill also has an open-air auditorium.
Big concerts are held in that space, such as the O Son do Camiño festival.
Towards the cathedral
From here you go down through the San Lázaro district and Rúa de San Pedro to the Porta do Camiño, already in the historic centre, and from there to the Praza do Obradoiro.
In short
Monte do Gozo is the final balcony of the Camino Frances: the first view of the cathedral and the last effort before arriving.