He also built a hospice as a shelter for pilgrims and founded the monastery of San Juan de Ortega.
He erected a hermitage for himself at a forested site known as Urteca or Ortega (Spanish for "nettle"), situated on the pilgrim road to Spain's most popular shrine, Santiago de Compostela.
John built a pilgrim hospice and founded the monastery of San Juan de Ortega.
He devoted his manual labors to the construction and repair of bridges and roads for the pilgrim route to Compostela.
[4] According to one legend, robbers attempting to steal a cow got lost in a fog only to find themselves at St John's door in the morning.