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Monastery of Santa María de Mezonzo

Vilasantar, Betanzos, A Coruña

1 Villages · 2 Monuments · 1 Nature · 1 Activities · 2 Curiosities

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Monastery of Santa María de Mezonzo

Monument · Vilasantar, Betanzos, A Coruña

A monastery in the parish of Santa María de Mezonzo, in Vilasantar, of which today only the Romanesque church survives. Its origins probably go back to the Suebi period, with two 6th- or 7th-century capitals reused in the present building, although the known monastic community was founded as a double monastery and was donated to King Alfonso III the Great in 870; it had a library and in 995 came under the monastery of Santa María de Sobrado. The abbot Pedro de Mezonzo grew up there and went on to become bishop of Iria-Santiago in the time of Almanzor, and tradition credits him with the Salve Regina. Rebuilt in the 12th century, it has a basilical plan with three naves ending in three semicircular apses, with historiated capitals and an eight-lobed rose window. It was declared a Monumento Histórico-Artístico (a former Spanish heritage-protection designation, later replaced by Bien de Interés Cultural) in 1931.

Photo: Jose Luis Cernadas Iglesias (CC BY 2.0)

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