Directions 
16.4 Nogueira de Miño
CHURCH OF SANTA MARÍA DE NOGUEIRA
Portions of this church date back to the second half of the 12th century, although significant changes were made to its façade during restoration work in the 18th century. The church now features a prominent bell tower and Baroque decorative elements, although its rose window remains from the Romanesque era.
The eaves and southern portal of the church’s exterior are decorated with a rich and diverse series of stone sculptures, with the local fauna serving as a constant theme: goats, bats, trout, eels, and more. According to the story told by the local residents, the church’s large bell represents the winner of a contest that arose from a dispute between the priests from two parishes, who wanted to see which church could have the biggest bell.
However, this church’s greatest treasure is inside, in the form of the impressive Renaissance frescoes that cover almost the entire nave. They were created by a variety of artists between the years 1560 and 1571, using a limestone and sand mortar, and they are the reason why this church is sometimes referred to as Galicia’s Sistine Chapel.
As far as their subject matter, there are renditions of the Last Judgement, the Resurrection, the Annunciation, the Holy Trinity, and the martyrdom of Saint Sebastian, while in the apse we can see the Kiss of Judas in the left panel and the Way of the Cross on the right. Finally, the ceiling contains a representation of the four winds, the moon, and the sun.
O CABO DO MUNDO
This is where the Route of Landscape Interest with Natural Value known as O Cabo do Mundo begins, which then runs for 6.6 kilometres along this unique meander of the Miño River. The route is dominated by vineyards and forests, and it passes by O Navallo and Cartemil.
You will notice a sharp contrast between the landscapes on the two sides of the river: the sunnier slopes are the ones where vineyards have been planted, while the slopes on the other side are dominated by leafy native forests.
The Miño River flows through Ribeira Sacra at the bottom of a deep, narrow valley with steep slopes, which have been partly submerged by the construction of dams along the river. The feature known as O Cabo do Mundo is the Miño River’s most iconic meander, where a sort of peninsula is formed as the river flows in a massive curve around the hard stone of Navallo Mountain.
To fully appreciate the meander at O Cabo do Mundo, the best perspectives are found along the course of the river, at the O Cabo do Mundo viewpoints, along the road to Playa da Cova beach, and from the Castro culture archaeological site at the Ethnographic Museum in Arxeriz. For those who would like to experience the meander by taking a trip along the river, there are a variety of boat trips and other activities offered in the area.
