St. Mary of Monfero's Monastery
Encyclopedia
Monfero Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery dedicated to Mary, Mother of Jesus, in the province of A Coruña
in Galicia, Spain
. It is located in Monfero
in Ferrolterra in the comarca
of Eume, about 22 km to the north-east of Betanzos
.
raids, but later reconstructed under Alfonso VII in 1134 in collaboration with several nobles, including Alfonso Bermúdez, Count Pedro Osório and the Counts of Traba, who endowed it.
The abbey joined the Cistercian order in 1147 as a daughter house of Sobrado Abbey
, of the filiation of Clairvaux
.
In the 16th century Monfero became part of the Castilian Cistercian Congregation.
In the 17th century the Romanesque
monastery was struck by lightning and destroyed. It was rebuilt between 1620 and 1658 in the Baroque
style. In 1805 the church was again struck by lightning and damaged.
The dissolution of the monasteries carried out by the government of Mendizábal
brought the abbey to an end in 1835.
tombs of the de Andrade
family. The former conventual buildings lie to the south of the church. Of the three cloisters that were once here, only a fragment remains of the Romanesque one.
A Coruña (province)
The province of A Coruña is the most North-western Atlantic-facing province of Spain, and one of the four provinces which constitute the autonomous community of Galicia...
in Galicia, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. It is located in Monfero
Monfero
Monfero is a municipality in the comarca of Eume, province of A Coruña, Galicia, in north-western Spain.- Main sights :* The "Fragas" of the River Eume Natural Park with its typical Atlantic Forest, and unique ecosystem and biodiversity, offers the visitor one of the most beautiful Galician...
in Ferrolterra in the comarca
Comarca
A comarca is a traditional region or local administrative division found in parts of Spain, Portugal, Panama, Nicaragua, and Brazil. The term is derived from the term marca, meaning a "march, mark", plus the prefix co- meaning "together, jointly".The comarca is known in Aragonese as redolada and...
of Eume, about 22 km to the north-east of Betanzos
Betanzos
Betanzos is a municipality in Galicia, Spain, in the Province of A Coruña. In Roman times Betanzos was called Carunium or Brigantium. During the Medieval period the settlement was known as Carunio....
.
History
In the 10th century on the site of an earlier hermitage a Benedictine monastery was founded, dedicated to Saint Mark, and supported by king Bermudo II. It was destroyed by NormanNormans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
raids, but later reconstructed under Alfonso VII in 1134 in collaboration with several nobles, including Alfonso Bermúdez, Count Pedro Osório and the Counts of Traba, who endowed it.
The abbey joined the Cistercian order in 1147 as a daughter house of Sobrado Abbey
Sobrado Abbey
Sobrado Abbey is a former Cistercian monastery, now a Trappist monastery, in the province of A Coruña in Galicia in Spain. It is situated in the municipality of Sobrado, about 9 km east of Corredoiras and about 46 km south-east of Betanzos, at an altitude of 540 m above sea level.-History:A...
, of the filiation of Clairvaux
Clairvaux Abbey
Clairvaux Abbey is a Cistercian monastery in Ville-sous-la-Ferté, 15 km from Bar-sur-Aube, in the Aube département in northeastern France. The original building, founded in 1115 by St. Bernard, is now in ruins; a high-security prison, the Clairvaux Prison, now occupies the grounds...
.
In the 16th century Monfero became part of the Castilian Cistercian Congregation.
In the 17th century the Romanesque
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
monastery was struck by lightning and destroyed. It was rebuilt between 1620 and 1658 in the Baroque
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
style. In 1805 the church was again struck by lightning and damaged.
The dissolution of the monasteries carried out by the government of Mendizábal
Juan Álvarez Mendizábal
Juan Álvarez Mendizábal, born Juan Álvarez Méndez , was a Spanish economist and politician....
brought the abbey to an end in 1835.
Buildings
The present building complex, a landmark of Monfero, is essentially that of the 17th century, constructed mostly of granite and slate on a site of outstanding natural beauty ]. The church, which continues in operation, is built on the plan of a Latin cross with a single nave and two side aisles, and has a distinctive and well-known Baroque west front with four enormous half-pillars and two half-pilasters with a chequered design of inlaid tiles. The Baroque main altar was made in 1666. The church contains four GothicGothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
tombs of the de Andrade
Andrade
Originally, the name Andrade could have come from any of numerous places of the same name in Galicia or northern Portugal and several Andrade are known from documents dating back to the 12th century. Most likely, however, it originated in the small fief of San Martiño de Andrade Originally, the...
family. The former conventual buildings lie to the south of the church. Of the three cloisters that were once here, only a fragment remains of the Romanesque one.
External links
Sources
- Janauschek, Leopold, 1877: Originum Cisterciensium Liber Primus (repr. 1964). Vienna