Hypothesis about the “Cruz de Fierro” (iron cross) of Foncebadón exhibited in the Museum of the Caminos (Astorga, Spain) and reflection on its name

Abstract

The Iron Cross of Foncebadón (León, Spain) is one of the main landmarks of the via francigena of the Way of St. James (Camino de Santiago). There has been much reflections on the origin of these “murias” or “majanos” (groups of stones) but little on the cross itself as a material object, a task that is addressed in this contribution, in which it is proposed that the cross currently exhibited in the Museo de los Caminos (Astorga) is much recent than one might expect. Finally, a reflection is added on the different ways of referring to it (“Cruz de fierro”, “ferro” or “hierro”) in historical literature and documentation.