Page 80 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide 2017 - Northern Spain

78  NOR THERN SP AIN REGION B Y REGION

c Monforte de
Lemos
Lugo. Road Map C2. * 19,500. £
@ n Rúa Comercio 8; 982 40 47 15.
( 6th, 16th, 24th & 30th of each
month. _ Nuestra Señora de
Montserrat (mid-Aug), San Mateo (21
Sep). ∑ monfortedelemos.es
On a hill overlooking the town
are the remnants of a fortress –
fragments of the massive walls, Imposing Monasterio de Santa María de Oseira, near Monforte de Lemos
the palace of the Lemos family
and the Mosteiro de San Baroque period, with two huge b O Cebreiro
Vicente do Pino are preserved towers; its construction was Lugo. Road Map C2. * 16. Tel 982
here. The monastery’s Renais- based on the cathedral in 36 70 25. _ Virgen de O Cebreiro
sance façade conceals a Gothic Santiago de Compostela (see (8–9 Sep).
interior. Of note is the 30-m pp66–7). The chapterhouse rooms
(98-ft) tower, from the 13th have columns with twisted shafts High up in wild, windswept
century. Spanning the Cabe and capitals resembling palm mountain countryside, famous
river is a bridge supported on leaves. The monastery also for its volatile weather and with
semicircular arches. Originally features a well-preserved stair- wonderful mountain views, is
Roman, the current structure case in the Herrera style and three tiny O Cebreiro. Here are several
dates from the 16th century. cloisters – the Knights’, Medallions’ pallozas – oval or rectangular
The Convento de Santa Clara, and Pinnacles’ cloisters, which Celtic thatched stone huts.
dating from the 17th century, date from the 16th century. Many pilgrims begin the last
accommodates a museum of Medicinal liqueurs are produced stage of the Road to Santiago
religious art with some fine by the monks who live here. from here; the local church is one
Italian reliquaries. of the oldest monuments on the
In the suburbs of Monforte route. According to legend, the
stands the Colexio de Nosa v Sárria 9th-century pre-Romanesque
Señora da Antiga, a Piarist Lugo. Road Map C2. * 13,500. £ Iglesia de Santa María La Real
(originally Jesuit) college in the @ n Rúa Vigo de Sárria 15; 982 53 was the scene of a miracle
Herrera style, dating from the 00 99. ( 6th, 20th, 27th of month. _ involving the transformation of
early 16th century. The small San Juan (23–27 Jun), Noite Meiga (last bread and wine into the flesh
picture gallery within displays Sat in Aug). ∑ sarriaturismo.com and blood of Christ. Inside the
two paintings by El Greco and church is a 12th-century chalice,
five works by the Mannerist Sárria is a common starting known as the Holy Grail, in which
painter Andrea del Sarto. point for pilgrimages to Santiago the transformation is said to
de Compostela, which lies 111 have taken place. One of the
km (69 miles) away (100 km is pallozas contains the Museo
the minimum dis tance required Etnográfico, which presents
to receive the certificate of the daily life of the settle ment’s
completion of the pilgrimage). former inhabitants.
The town was established by
Alfonso IX, who died en route E Museo Etnográfico
to Santiago. Due to its location, O Cebreiro. Open Tue–Sat; winter:
Sárria had many hostels for 11am–6pm; summer: 8:30am–2:30pm.
pilgrims. The 13th-century hostel
near the church and monastery
of La Magdalena has been
The Colexio de Nosa Señora da Antiga transformed into a youth hostel,
in Monforte de Lemos as have many others. The
monastery has a Renaissance
Environs façade and a late Gothic cloister.
The Cistercian Mosteiro de Santa Another build ing that spans
María de Oseira, one of many Romanesque and Gothic styles is
monasteries in the area, was the 13th-century Iglesia de San
founded in the 12th century. Its Salvador, beside the fortress of
name derives from the word oso the same period, of which only
(bear), as bears once roamed the the tower remains. The town
remote area where it was built. also has four medieval bridges.
The com plex includes a Gothic In the surrounding area there are A typical stone palloza with a thatched roof
church, remodelled during the many Romanesque churches. in O Cebreiro
For hotels and restaurants see p204 and pp216–17

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