Monfero Abbey ( gl, Mosteiro de San Fiz de Monfero; es, Monasterio de Santa María de Monfero) is a former

Cistercian The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, 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 ...

monastery dedicated to

Mary, Mother of Jesus Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...

, in the province of A Coruña in

Galicia Galicia may refer to: Geographic regions * Galicia (Spain), a region and autonomous community of northwestern Spain ** Gallaecia, a Roman province ** The post-Roman Kingdom of the Suebi, also called the Kingdom of Gallaecia ** The medieval King ...

, Spain. It is located in Monfero in Ferrolterra in the '' comarca'' of Eume, about 22 km to the north-east of Betanzos.

History

In the 10th century on the site of an earlier hermitage a Benedictine monastery was founded, dedicated to Saint Mark, and supported by king

Bermudo II Bermudo or Vermudo, from Latin Veremundus, is a given name of Germanic origin. It may refer to: * Veremund (fl. c. 500), Suevic king of Galicia * Bermudo I of Asturias (r. 788–91), king, called "the Deacon" (''el Diácono'') * Bermudo II of León ...

. 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 style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

style. In 1805 the church was again struck by lightning and damaged. The dissolution of the monasteries carried out by the government of

Mendizábal Mendizabal or Mendizábal is a Basque surname meaning 'wide mountain'. It may refer to: *Concepción Mendizábal Mendoza (1893–1985), first female civil engineer in Mexico *Enrique Mendizabal (1918–2017), Olympic Shooter for Peru at the 1948 Lo ...

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 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 Ferrol may refer to: Places * Ferrol (comarca), a coastal region in A Coruña, Galicia, Spain * Ferrol, Spain, industrial city and naval station in Galicia, Spain ** Racing de Ferrol, an association football club * Ferrol, Romblon, municipality in ...

and Vilalba 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 Leopold Janauschek (13 October 1827 – 23 July 1898) was an Austrian Cistercian historian. Life Janauschek was born at Brünn, Moravia. In 1846 he received the religious habit at the Cistercian Zwettl Abbey, Lower Austria, where he was prof ...

, 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 12th century Benedictine monasteries in Spain Monasteries in Galicia (Spain) 1835 disestablishments Bien de Interés Cultural landmarks in the Province of A Coruña