Villfranca Montés de Oca — which roughly translates as ‘The Frankish Town of Goose Hill’ — has a chapel called Our Lady of the Goose.

VERY INTERESTING: In medieval times, people would navigate by the migratory path of the geese during daytime, and by the stars at night. And since geese migrate from East to West, they were a fairly reliable guide for the pilgrims. The Romans used them to guard people’s homes. The Celts viewed them as symbols of wisdom. In addition, their footprints were similar to the scallop shell, bringing all paths to a single point.

Some churches on the Camino have goose symbols or goose feet incorporated into their decoration. The Templars considered such places to be significant. The Templars were among the early bankers on the Camino. So a goose foot symbol might well have acted like a medieval ATM sign, and a sign of protection.