The Cistercian complex that is in a valley, near the river called Oseira, is known as the Monastery of (located in San Cristovo de Cea, in the province of Ourense) This is the Cistercian’s initial foundation in Galicia and is very well preserved. Many people decide to visit it because they consider that it has enormous historical and artistic wealth.
If you do the Sanabrés Way from Ourense you cannot miss this spectacular Monastery.
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Visit to the Monastery of Oseira
The story that has Monastery of dates back to the year 1137 in Spain. Currently, this monastery receives visits from many tourists and the guided tours last approximately 1 hour.
Individual entry costs 3,50 euros but it is not necessary for children under the age of 9 to pay. On the other hand, there are schedules both in the morning (10:30 and 12:00) and in the afternoon (16:00 and 17:30). So there are several options to plan a visit to the place.
Apart from that Monastery, if you decide to do the Camino de Santiago from Sarria, you cannot miss the Magdalena Monastery.
Architecture of the Oseira Monastery
The architecture, both internal and external, of the Monastery of it is impressive. The triumphal arch welcomes visitors arriving at the Monastery. This is made up of Tuscan pilasters on the sides and a midpoint opening. In addition to a high shield with the baroque crown, The Assumption and two angels.
The exterior facades
After going through that arch, you will find the Monastery at a right angle and the church on one side. While on the right side is the neoclassical school building which was built in 1785.
Church
Between 1639 and 1647 the façade that makes the church stand out, which is made up of 3 vertical bodies, was made. Its decoration has padding and its central body has a large rectangular gate accompanied by statues.
On the sides there is a window with a rectangular shape and the coat of arms of the monastery, in addition to the shield that identifies the congregation. Now, in the upper part, a curved split pediment stands out, next to the coat of arms of the Spanish monarchy and 2 bell towers.
Curiously, when skirting it, the old façade of the church can be perceived in the differences in width and height.
Monastery
The door to enter the Monastery has an arch framing it, Solomonic columns on the sides and the Oseira shield. That shield is made up of 2 bears on a pine tree and chained figures that represent life and death. In addition, the façade has shields of Portuguese and Spanish military orders.
Today, certain original construction details. For example, one end of the shape of the head and some of the medieval buildings of the 2 chapels.
the inner part
Upon entering the Monastery of there is a vestibule covered by a coffered vault. Tickets for a guided tour are sold there. It is not possible to visit without a guide.
Cloister of Knights
The Monastery has 3 cloisters, but the first is that of knights; which was built between 1713 and 1759. It receives its name because the knights used to leave their horses there. For this reason, it is made up of straight windows and midpoint arches, along with stables and mangers.
ladder of honor
The staircase of honor has the figures of different saints and is covered by a large arch. In addition to having a groin vault that is divided into 3 sections with midpoint arches. This staircase was built from 1644 to 1647, and their 24 steps have diamond tips in the front area.
stone museum
The room where the stone museum is now located was probably a cellar before. In this museum there pieces, made in different times, which were found during the restoration of this Monastery. Some of these are pipes used to conduct water, tombstones and keystones.
old apothecary
another room of Monastery of that contains great history is the old apothecary. Which began to be used from the XNUMXth century and contains original pieces from that time. Such as flasks, balances and mortars.
Among all these, the set made up of 37 pots with medicinal substances stands out. These are from the Royal Factories of Sargadelos and dating from the early XNUMXth century.
regular cloister
The second cloister is the regular one, which was built in 1760 and has a baroque style. Before the cloister that there is now, there were 2 buildings; one of them in the XNUMXth century. From there come medallions with representations of jesters, characters of order and ancient heroes.
But the source glimpsed in the center is indeed about a copy identical to the originalof that century. Basically, the place has 5 holes on each floor and each side. Although those on the ground floor were bricked up at the end of the 1995th century, they reopened in XNUMX.
Church
The tour continues until reaching the church of the Monastery of, called Santa María la Real. Construction began in 1185 but it was consecrated in 1239, although little remains of the original.
In it stands out the chancel with a semicircular shape and the transept dome, with 4 reliefs of whole saints. Currently, there are also many baroque paintings with religious themes, monks and other saints.
Cloister of Pinnacles
The final cloister is the one with pinnacles, which is made up of 3 raised and narrow wings with vaults. This began to be built at the end of the 1629th century, but it was not completed until XNUMX. For 1991 the source was added which copies the one that used to be in the same place.
Chapterhouse
Breakfast It has some interesting twisted columns and reflects the style of a typical medieval Cistercian monastery. Its square plan is divided into 9 by the characteristic central columns, decorated with some flowers.
Refectory
to the refectory an impressive ribbed vault covers it, composed of 4 sections and Gothic braiding. The original was built around the year 1572, but in 1978 it had to be rebuilt.
Library
The library is considered a jewel of the Monastery of, for its collection that exceeds 3000 volumes. Although those volumes are recent, because most of the old ones were lost after the confiscation.
At Mundiplus, as an expert travel agency for the Camino de Santiago, we believe that in addition to giving the best of our services, we must provide interesting information to the pilgrim.
