Santo Domingo

29 April - Walked 22.6 k's. Santo Domingo is named after a monk who dedicated his life to the care of the pilgrims. Also known for the miracle of the hanged innocent! It centers around a family of German pilgrims who stopped to rest in Santo Domingo. When their young son refused the romantic advances of the innkeepers daughter, she laid a trap. She stashed a piece of silver from the church in the boys bag, and before he left town made sure she notified the authorities. Charged with theft, he was sentenced to hang. Being medieval times, the body was left to hang as a warning to others. The parents mourning the loss finished their pilgrimage in Santiago. Returning through Santo Domingo, they stopped to visit their son, (a fairly morbid visit given his state). They were astonished to find him alive and well, though still hanging. His weight had been supported by one of the saints. His parents knew a miracle when they saw one, but the townspeople went straight to the officials and reported the boy was still alive. One of the officials replied that the boy was no more alive than the chicken he was roasting; whereupon the Miracle continues with the reanimation of the chickens which took to their feet, clucking and squeaking.
The town never forgot the miracle and part of the gallows remains on display in the cathedral transept over the Saints tomb. Descendants of the original chickens are kept (alive and well fed) in a coop in the west transept.

I remember it well...