From the viewpoint of the City of Culture, the visitor can see one of the historic streets of the city, Castrón Douro, which links the old city with the Collegiate Church of Santa María de la Real del Sar.
This street, which runs parallel to the convent of the Mercedarias, joins the only remaining gate of the old medieval wall, the Puerta de Mazarelos, with the Calle del Sar, which leads to the collegiate church. It was formerly known as Porta do Viño, as it was where the winegrowers from the Ulla and other surrounding areas used to go to supply Santiago.
Other important streets in the historic quarter are Rúa Nova, Rúa del Vilar and Rúa del Franco. In the latter, there is the legend of a fountain linked to the body of the Apostle Santiago. When he arrived in Compostela, brought by the cart and oxen provided by Queen Lupa, the animals were tired from the journey and very thirsty, but there was no water nearby, so the beasts began to dig with their feet in the ground and, without getting too deep, clean and crystalline water began to flow, which is why the fountain is considered miraculous and has always been used by pilgrims to regain strength before entering the temple.
