Peirón de Santa Águeda (Saint Agatha’s roadside shrine)

“Peirones” were originally milestones or road cross pillars built in bricks or stone. They signal, at the entrance of villages a beginning or crossing of roads.

The custom of signaling the roads with heaps of stone, sticks or monoliths can be found among all cultures and peoples throughout history, in many cases they are linked to religious beliefs related to travelling auspices.

There is no doubt that many of today’s remaining “peirones” stand now were crossroad signals have been for centuries.

•  We know for certain that Romans used to worship the “Lares”, the gods who presided over hearth and home, at cross roads. The larescompitales were the tutelary gods of cross-roads, while the laresviales ensured a safe return for travellers. During the “PaxRomana”, in the 1^st century BC, Emperor Augustus dictated that in the conquered territories of North Spain laresviales should be adopted to protect travellers on the roads.

The Roman origin of Jaraba makes almost certain for its “peirones” to have stood in the same place for two thousand years.

“Peirones” are archaic in their origin, the earliest documentation about “peirones” dates back to the XVI century. For centuries they have been restored and rebuilt once and again without paying any attention to their architectural value, but only to their religious symbolism. Their design is austere, made in brick or stone by anonymous builders along the years. Many of them display an iron cross on top of the shrine with the image of a saint of martyr. Up to very recent times it was not unusual to find an offering in the form of flowers or corn wreaths at their feet.

The modern function of the “peirones” is not certain. Apart from its signalling function many magic and/or religious everyday rituals seem have taken place around them. In some places they were just a meeting place for young farmers, others, like those devoted to “San Antón”, the patron saint of farming animals, would congregate villagers with their farming animals to be blessed at the saint’s day.

The “Peiron de Santa Águeda” is devoted to Saint Agatha, commonly known in Spain as the Patron Saint of Women. St. Agatha was a martyr of the III century. Among the tortures she underwent was the cutting off of her breasts. To this day, women, especially in rural areas, celebrate the day as the day in which “women rule” and they celebrate by feasting together and making bonfires where possible. Traditionally, during this saint’s festivity, men had to obey (as opposed to rule during the rest of the year) and in some places they even held a women’s local council with full ruling capacities for a day.

In Jaraba, February the 5^th is the day in which women meet around a bonfire by the “Peirón de Santa Águeda”. They feast, drink hot chocolate and eat these specially made cakes called “teticas de Santa Águeda” (St Agatha’s breasts) which are cone-shaped sponge cakes with a cherry on top simulating a nipple.

Apart from being the patron saint of women, Saint Agatha has traditionally been the patron saint of wet nurses and is today the patron saint of breast cancer. Offers made to the saint at the feet of the “peirón” whether in a form of flower offering or a prayer are said by devoted people to be an aid in cases of difficult breast feeding or breast illness.

There’s a popular song, sung in this area by women during the festivity of St Agatha. The lyrics, though quite innocent for today’s standards were considered saucy and indecorous for women and were only allowed in the context of this day’s festivity, when women were allowed for a day to act as men and loose their hair.

“Santa Aguedeta, Aguedeta / Santa Aguedeta, Aguedón/ que a mí me guarde la teta / y a mi marido el pezón”.