Ourense is the spa capital of Galicia. It is a stop along the Santiago de Compostela Pilgrimage Route, on the line from Seville, southern Spain, called Via de la Plata (the Silver Road). The town was founded by the Romans almost two thousand years ago with the name Aqui Auriensis, which means ‘golden water’. The town is located on two branches of the Minho and possesses an historic Roman bridge, the Ponte Vella, which became the symbol of the town. Its medieval centre, which is surrounded by a modern city, possesses a cathedral dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours, which is one of the oldest cathedrals in the region. The Portail du Paradis has many similarities with the Pórtico da Gloria of Compostela Cathedral. A number of archaeological studies have made it possible to restore the open-air Roman pool and provide it with a centre of historical and geological interpretation. The pool has been made available to tourists and local residents, who can thus benefit from the thermal water of the Burgas Spring. Other springs have been developed into spas along the river, and the centres created and surrounded by grassy areas are open all night in peak season.  The water was also used to treat pilgrims en route to the sanctuary for the apostle Saint James, and thus creating a very close link between water and spirituality.