A cruceiro is a religious monument made up of a cross, generally made of stone on a pillar, located in a public place mainly at crossroads, church atriums or elevated places. They can also form part of a Via Crucis. It is one of the most characteristic monuments in Portugal and Galicia, although it can also be found in other parts of the Cantabrian coast or in Castile and Leon. This work of popular art, sculpted in granite, is made up of several elements:
- Platform
- Pedestal
- Shaft
- Capitel
- Cross
The historical context in which the Galician cruceiros developed is the religious atmosphere created by the counter-reform. There were no crosses before the Council of Trent, which ended in 1564, and since the Council their number has increased exponentially.
Did you know that just behind this crossroads there is a neighbourhood known as Cruz Verde or Xudeos, given that this area would have been the city's medieval Jewish quarter? In front of the cruceiro we can see the building built by Manuel Naveira, despite the fact that his surname was not related to the city's great benefactors) as an Asylum for the blind and poor that currently operates as a hotel establishment.
In the municipality of Betanzos there are seven cruceiros, the most famous being the one in the atrium of Santa Maria do Azougue.