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Basilica of San Martiño de Mondoñedo

Foz, Mariña Central, Lugo

1 Villages · 3 Monuments · 7 Nature · 1 Activities · 1 Curiosities · 1 Historical milestones · 1 Food and drink

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Basilica of San Martiño de Mondoñedo

Monument · Foz, Mariña Central, Lugo

The church of the homonymous parish of Foz, in the comarca of Mariña Central, which was an episcopal see from the 9th century: after the Norman invasions, Alfonso III established a new see here with Sabarico as the first bishop, and it was the capital of the Breton lands until 1112. It is considered the oldest cathedral in Spain. The present building is Romanesque from the late 11th century, with buttresses added in the 18th century; a 2008 restoration uncovered the oldest Romanesque frescoes in Galicia, dated to the 12th century. It has been a Bien de Interés Cultural (Spain's highest level of heritage protection) since 1931 and a minor basilica since 2007. Beside it flows the A Zapata spring, to which legend attributes miraculous properties. It remains today a parish church and houses the Museo Parroquial de San Martiño de Mondoñedo.

Photo: Yeza (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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