The story
Viking Pilgrimage Catoira in Catoira
Catoira's Romeria Vikinga reenacts historical Viking and Norman raids on the Ria de Arousa, staging a mock landing and battle each first Sunday of August at the ruins of the Torres de Oeste, a fortified complex genuinely built to defend the river route to Santiago de Compostela, with a full-scale replica longship sailing up the ria.
Catoira's Romeria Vikinga reenacts a documented period of Viking and Norman raids on the Ria de Arousa during the ninth and tenth centuries, when longship crews repeatedly attacked the fortified Torres de Oeste, a defensive complex built specifically to guard the river route toward Santiago de Compostela from seaborne attack.