The Legend of the hanged man unhanged miracle
The Cathedral del Salvador in Santo Domingo de la Calzada commemorates St. Domingo's hanged man unhanged miracle with a live pair of chickens that are changed every fortnight.
On the way to Santiago, a German couple and their son spend the night in the hostel in Santo Domingo. A young maid tries to seduce the handsome boy. But he rejects her. The maid feels insulted and hides a silver cup in the boy's coat. The next morning she accuses him of theft. The young man is seized by the police and, although he proclaims his innocence before the judge, he is hanged. Before the stunned parents continue their journey, they return to the place of execution. Suddenly they hear their son's voice. "I am not dead, Saint Domingo is holding me by the legs, I am fine". The parents immediately go to see the judge, who has just sat down at the table, and report the incredible incident. The judge, enraged by the persistent riffraff, shouts angrily: "Your son is as surely dead as this cock and hen are dead in my plate!". Then the cock and hen begin to flutter. The cock crows, the hen clucks and they rise and fly away. The speechless judge rushes to the place of execution with his men and sure enough, the boy is alive. They cut him down and let the relieved family move on. The maid, however, is convicted of her dastardly deed and executed in his place.
This legend dates back to the 13th century and can also be found elsewhere
Link to the Spanish Way of St. James, the Camino Francés
, Visit to the Cathedral
