Audioguide

Church of Santa María de Castro de Rei

The name of the place, Mosteirovello, meaning old monastery, alludes to the original monastery. There was a Benedictine monastery here prior to the 12th century but it was moved beside the river Loio, where it became an independent Cistercian abbey.

Only the apse on the epistle side, part of the walls and other remains have been preserved. Inside are remains of 15th and early 16th century paintings and an interesting pre-Romanesque chapel. On its parish cross, Santa María de Castro de Rei has a valuable silver jewel, one metre long, dating from 1730.

For some time, the monastery had links with the Carracedo del Bierzo monastery. The monastery preserve was donated by Alfonso VII, the Emperor, to the Cistercians. There were 10 abbots who were overlords of the monastery and its preserve. On the death of the last independent abbot, Abbot Pradomao, the monastery became a priory administered by the Abbey of Montederramo in Ourense. It was Alfonso VII who gave it to the Cistercian order.

Alfonso IX made several royal grants to the monastery and visited personally in 1228. These grants were confirmed by Fernando III in 1231 and Alfonso X in 1255.

This church will remind you of your grandmother’s jewellery box, in which she used to keep ornaments to wear on special occasions, as the valuable piece of silver in this jewellery box of a church amazes everyone without fail.