A tour of the historic heritage of the municipality of Xinzo de Limia

The municipality of Xinzo de Limia preserves a historic heritage dominated by rural Romanesque. The regional website xinzodelimia.eu, in its culture and monuments section, put together a short tour in 2009 that still serves as a reading guide to the territory: what follows sets out what it said and how it connects with what we know now ^[1][2].

The old church of Xinzo

Of the original 12th-century Romanesque church only the façade, part of the plan and a stretch of the north wall survive. The portal is a plain arch surrounded by three archivolts on columns with historiated capitals, and around them runs a band of nailhead ornament, very typical of the churches of A Limia. The website recalled that, a few years earlier, excavations and refurbishment work had found several frescoes inside, and that, according to some historians, the Civitas Limicorum would have stood on the same spot as the church today ^[1]. The later history of the church, from abandonment to rescue, is in As igrexas de Xinzo; on the civitas debate, see A Civitas Limicorum.

Other Romanesque churches

The website singles out as Romanesque the churches of Novás, in the south-east corner of the municipality, and of Morgade, on the road to Vilar de Barrio and Maceda, which keeps two interesting Romanesque doors. It also cites other churches with Romanesque elements: San Pedro de Boado, Santa María and San Pedro de Laroá, Santo Tomé de Morgade, San Pedro de Pena, San Xoán de Oleiros and Santa Mariña de Xinzo, and recalls that the municipality has plenty of cruceiros and petos de ánimas ^[2]. See the parish pages for Novás and Morgade.

The Torre da Pena

On the edge of the Lagoa de Antela, on the road to Maceda, stands the Torre da Pena, with a high door and crowned with corbels, from which there is a broad view of A Limia ^[2]. More detail in Torre da Pena.

The Bon Xesús convent of Trandeiras

To the north, in Trandeiras, is the building of the Franciscan convent of Bon Xesús, from the late Middle Ages, with its 16th-century church. The website says that the convent was founded by Alonso Piña at the beginning of the 19th century and became famous for the welcome it gave to French priests who emigrated during the Revolution, and that after Mendizábal’s disentailment it was left isolated and plundered, like many others ^[2]. See Convento do Bon Xesús da Limia.

The Mosteiro de Ribeira

In the south-west of the municipality is another example of Romanesque architecture, the Benedictine house of Mosteiro de Ribeira, which became a priory of Celanova, where Padre Sarmiento found Roman tablets dedicated to individuals of the Quirina tribe ^[2]. Page at Mosteiro de Ribeira.

Nine churches with interpretive panels

In October 2018 the Concello presented the information panels installed, with the Axencia de Turismo de Galicia, at nine medieval churches in the municipality, all of at least Romanesque origin: Santa Mariña de Xinzo, San Tomé de Morgade, San Pedro de Boado, Santo André de Piñeira Seca, San Xoán de Guntimil, San Xoán de Seoane de Oleiros, San Nicolau de Novás, Santa María de Laroá and San Pedro de Solbeira. The work included historical and field documentation, review of the walls to identify pre-Baroque phases and recording of the intangible culture associated with the churches, because they previously lacked interpretive infrastructure for visitors ^[3].

The Way of St James

The same source places a pilgrim route in the municipality: coming from Zamora along the Vía de la Plata, it forks at A Gudiña and one of the recognised alternatives continues via Verín, A Estivada, Xinzo, Sandiás, Allariz, Xunqueira de Ambía and San Cibrao das Viñas to Ourense ^[2].

Landscape

The text ends with the Lagoa de Antela, which despite being drained remains a stronghold of great ecological value, and with the upland parts of the municipality, which offer a panorama of the whole Limia plain ^[2]. See Charcas e aves da Lagoa de Antela.

Frequently asked questions

What style dominates Xinzo’s heritage? Rural Romanesque, with plain-arch portals and three archivolts ^[1][2].

Does the Way of St James pass through Xinzo? According to the regional website, an alternative of the Vía de la Plata, forking at A Gudiña, passes through Verín, A Estivada, Xinzo and Sandiás ^[2].

Links

• Patrimonio da Limia
• Torre da Pena
• Convento do Bon Xesús da Limia
• Xinzo de Limia

Sources

1. «Monumentos históricos de Xinzo de Limia», xinzodelimia.eu (web archive). http://www.xinzodelimia.eu:80/monumentos.htm
2. «Cultura e monumentos», xinzodelimia.eu (web archive). http://www.xinzodelimia.eu:80/cultura_e_monumentos.htm
3. Concello de Xinzo de Limia, «Presentación dos paneis informativos nas nove igrexas románicas do Concello de Xinzo», 29/10/2018. http://www.xinzodelimia.es:80/articulo/cultura/presentacion-paneis-informativos-nas-igrexas-romanicas-do-concello-xinzo/20181029192353002098.html