Monasteries, Romanesque and more
The significant legacy left by our ancestors is evident in the large number of Romanesque churches and monasteries built across the entire Ribeira Sacra region. The expansion of Romanesque style in Galicia is highly visible here; in fact, this area is considered the main concentration of rural Romanesque architecture in Europe.
This area, which to this day continues to be as spectacular as it is fertile, attracted monastic communities from the origins of Christianity onwards. These groups came in search of an area to favour ascetic, hermit life. Life in this region began to revolve around their monasteries, with their rights over the land, organisation of crops - particularly grapes - and the collection of taxes.
And thus began an important historical period, with monastic culture established on the steep banks of the Sil and Miño and resulting heritage sites which still exist today. Churches of outstanding beauty, such as San Paio de Diomondi, Santo Estevo de Atán, San Miguel de Eiré and San Fiz de Cangas, are just some of the many examples to be explored in this area.
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