Audioguide

Church and ruins of the Monastery of San Xoán da Camba

For many years this was an important abbey and also a double Royal Monastery, as it housed two communities; one of monks and one of nuns. It was founded in the 10th century by Diego I, bishop of Ourense.

Only three pieces of the original Visigoth building remain: a double window and two reliefs from the 10th and 11th centuries, one an adoration and the other a flagellation, which are kept in the Ourense Archaeological Museum.

The present-day church, which is much more recent, holds some very valuable artistic pieces. Its great tower dates from 1779 but the underground sacristy is definitely much older. In the sacristy, several anthropoid sarcophagi can be seen with coins dating from the time of Constantine the Great, in the 4th century, clearly showing how many centuries this place has been here.