La Peregrina: The Song About a Priest Falling in Love With a Pilgrim

Its one of those misty mornings on the Camino Frances, perhaps like those on the slopes and peaks of Monte Irago, between Rabanal del Camino and El Acebo de San Miguel.The parish priest has just stepped out of the little stone church after saying moring Mass when, as if in vision, his eye catches a woman with flowing blonde hair falling out from under her felt hat coming up the way.

As she passes, he stares as her delicate face. He's stuck, enchanted. He falls in love, as if stuck by teh arrow of cupid himself. She disapeears into the fog and suddenly he feels impelled ot runa fter her. But she is nowhere to be found. She has disappeared, as if swalloed by the very folds of the mountains. His life becomes a search for her along the Camino.

So goes the story in the old Leonese folk song La Peregrina. But plot twist, listening to it, one has no idea the protagonist is a priest and pretty little pilgrim the Virign Mary, appearing in a vision as a pilgrim. This I learned here, on a website dedicated to Spanish folk music. As the site also mentions, this song is quite popular in León, one of the provinces through wihich wanders The Camino de Santiago. 

Also in León, the Virgin mary is invoked under the title Virgen del Camino. Just outside of the cityo f León is, in fact, a village and church by that name, and the Virgin of The Camino is one of the patronesses of León, her feast celebrated September 15.  The devotion stems from the 16th century whent he Virgin appeared to shepard in the area. 

In any case, the song has remained beloved down the centuries. Not surpsingly, its quite beutiful. 

Below I've embedded it rendition by a Spanish foilk band Carrión Folk. The singer is Ana Gutierrez, a cousin of my husband. Enjoy.

La Peregrina