Ermida de Nossa Senhora da Lanzada

The chapel of Notre-Dame de la Lanzada is a small chapel located in the civil parish of Noalla, in Sanxenxo, in the province of Pontevedra, in Spain. The chapel, which is located at the western end of a point that juts out into the sea at the stunning A Lanzada beach , was built in the 12th Century in the late Romanesque style. 
Once an island but now connected with the mainland by an isthmus, the area was inhabited since ancient times. The old village of Castros and the necropolis with numerous Roman remains serve as evidence for this.

The Romanesque chapel was built on the remains of another older church linked to the fortress built in the 10th century to defend, with the western towers of Catoira and Cambados, the lands of Santiago de Compostela from Viking and Norman invaders.

The chapel went through numerous phases of war where it got destroyed in the 13th century. It was later rebuilt in a more robust way, but got damaged again in the 15th century by the Irmandiña revolts. Finally, in the 16th century, it was definitively abandoned. Currently, only the remains of one of the towers and the chapel are preserved.

Legends:

For centuries, the chapel of A Lanzada has been linked to one of Galicia’s most enduring fertility rituals: the Bath of the Nine Waves. This ancient rite takes place on the beach below the chapel and continues to draw visitors and devotees today.

Every year, on the last weekend of August, the Pilgrimage of the Virgin of La Lanzada is celebrated. On Saturday night, hundreds of women gather here seeking to overcome infertility. According to tradition, they must complete the ritual at midnight:

• Enter the sea at midnight and allow nine waves to break over their abdomen.
• Walk to the cliff beneath the chapel to find a naturally shaped stone seat known as the “Bed of the Virgin” or “Cradle of the Saint.”
• Sit or lean back on the stone and speak aloud their wish to become a mother.

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Beyond fertility rites, the Virgin of La Lanzada is also revered by sailors, who ask for her protection from the dangers of the sea. Inside the chapel, this devotion is reflected in the votive offerings—miniature wooden boats suspended from the ceiling, each one a symbol of gratitude or a plea for safe passage.