Monfero Abbey (; ) is a former

Cistercian The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...

monastery dedicated to

Mary, Mother of Jesus Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

, in the province of

A Coruña A Coruña (; ; also informally called just Coruña; historical English: Corunna or The Groyne) is a city and municipality in Galicia, Spain. It is Galicia's second largest city, behind Vigo. The city is the provincial capital of the province ...

in Galicia, Spain. It is located in Monfero in

Ferrolterra Ferrol is a coastal ''comarca'' in the northwest of the province of A Coruña, Galicia, Spain. It is also known as Ferrolterra. The area is 613.4 km2, and the overall population of this ''comarca'' was 161,154 at the 2011 Census; the latest offic ...

in the ''

comarca A ''comarca'' (, , , ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal, Spain, and some of their former colonies, like Brazil, Nicaragua, and Panama. The term is derived from the term ''marca'', meaning a "march, mark ...

'' of

Eume O Eume is a comarca in the province of A Coruña, Galicia, Spain. Its capital is the municipality of Pontedeume. It contains five municipalities and 24,629 inhabitants INE 2018 in an area of 538.7 km2. Municipalities The five municipalitie ...

, about 22 km to the north-east of Betanzos.

History

In the 10th century on the site of an earlier hermitage a

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

monastery was founded, dedicated to

Saint Mark Mark the Evangelist ( Koinē Greek: Μᾶρκος, romanized: ''Mârkos''), also known as John Mark ( Koinē Greek: Ἰωάννης Μᾶρκος, romanized: ''Iōánnēs Mârkos;'' Aramaic'': ܝܘܚܢܢ, romanized: Yōḥannān'') or Saint Ma ...

, and supported by king Bermudo II. It was destroyed by Norman raids, but later reconstructed under Alfonso VII in 1134 in collaboration with several nobles, including Alfonso Bermúdez, Count Pedro Osório and the Counts of Traba, who endowed it. The abbey joined the Cistercian order in 1147 as a daughter house of Sobrado Abbey, of the filiation of Clairvaux. In the 16th century Monfero became part of the Castilian Cistercian Congregation. In the 17th century the Romanesque monastery was struck by lightning and destroyed. It was rebuilt between 1620 and 1658 in the

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

style. In 1805 the church was again struck by lightning and damaged. The dissolution of the monasteries carried out by the government of Mendizábal brought the abbey to an end in 1835.

Buildings

The present building complex, a landmark of Monfero, is essentially that of the 17th century, constructed mostly of granite and slate on a site of outstanding natural beautyWebsite on the surrounding landscape
]. The church, which continues in operation, is built on the plan of a Latin cross with a single nave and two side aisles, and has a distinctive and well-known Baroque west front with four enormous half-pillars and two half-pilasters with a chequered design of inlaid tiles. The Baroque main altar was made in 1666. The church contains four Gothic architecture, Gothic tombs of the de

Andrade Andrade (/ɐ̃ˈdɾa.d͡ʒi/ (Brazil), �̃ˈdɾa.ðɨ(Portugal), or �n̪ˈd̪ɾa.ð̞e(Spanish)) is a surname of Kingdom of Galicia, Galician origin, which emerged in the 12th century as the family name of the knights and lords of the sma ...

family. The former conventual buildings lie to the south of the church. Of the three cloisters that were once here, only a fragment remains of the Romanesque one.

Gallery

Mosteiro de Santa María de Monfero 5.jpg, Calvary in front of the abbey Mosteiro de Santa María de Monfero 9.jpg, Church front view Mosteiro de Santa María de Monfero 10.jpg, Church front view Mosteiro de Santa María de Monfero 33.jpg, Church's facade details Mosteiro de Santa María de Monfero 19.jpg, Church's roof Mosteiro de Santa María de Monfero 31.jpg, Abbey's vaults Mosteiro Monfero Interior.jpg, Cloister Monasterio de Santa María de Monfero (186601418).jpg, Cloister Mosteiro de Santa María de Monfero 24.jpg, Abbey seen from the backside Monastery_of_Santa_María_de_Monfero_-_Church_interior_dome_-_22_July_2012.jpg, Dome's interior view MosteiroMonfero_(15).jpg, Dome's interior view Monfero767.jpg, Church interior Monfero-Manasterio_de_Santa_María_16a.jpg, Tomb of lord Nuno Freire de Andrade, ''o Mao'' (died 1431), who ruled Pontedeume, Ferrol and

Vilalba Vilalba is a municipality in the province of Province of Lugo, Lugo, in the autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, Spain. It belongs to the Comarcas of Galicia, comarca of Terra Chá. It is located on the left bank of the river Ladra, ...

MosteiroMonfero_(23).jpg, Church altarpiece Mosteiro de Santa María de Monfero 30.jpg, Entrance Mosteiro de San Fiz de Monfero. Manancial.jpg, Fountain

Notes

External links

Celiberia.net: Monfero Abbey webpage

Sources

* Janauschek, Leopold, 1877: ''Originum Cisterciensium Liber Primus'' (repr. 1964). Vienna {{Commonscat, Monastery of Santa María de Monfero, Monfero Abbey Cistercian monasteries in Spain Christian monasteries established in the 1110s Benedictine monasteries in Spain Monasteries in Galicia (Spain) 1835 disestablishments Bien de Interés Cultural landmarks in the Province of A Coruña 1114 establishments in Europe