Monastery of San Juan de Caaveiro

The monastery of San Juan de Caaveiro (in Galician: Mosteiro de San Xoán de Caaveiro) is a monastery from the 19th century XII to accommodate religious anchorites. It is located in the Spanish natural park of Fragas del Eume in the community of Galicia. The complex was declared an Asset of Cultural Interest since 1975 due to its architectural importance. It is property of the Provincial Council of La Coruña.

Description

The oldest remains are from the 12th century, highlighting the church that stands on a very steep mound that forced its builders to overcome the unevenness of the terrain by means of high walls with buttresses and underground rooms. The chevet and a good part of the nave of the Romanesque temple are preserved in good condition. There is also a beautiful baroque style bell tower from the XVIII century, the work of the Simón Rodríguez school. The canons' house and the monastery kitchens are also acceptably preserved.

History

The monastery was founded in the year 934. Bishop Rosendo's donations provided him with an important fortune. Later, the bishop of Santiago de Compostela assigned territories and jurisdictions to the monastery on the right bank of the Eume River. At first the monastery belonged to the order of Saint Benedict, but it changed to the order of Saint Augustine in the 12th century. The domain reached its greatest extent between 1220 and 1259. More than fifteen parishes remained under its jurisdiction.

Thus the monastery obtained great power, its church reaching the category of Royal Collegiate Church with six canons that it retained until the end of the 18th century< /span>, a time in which, after being abandoned, it began its decline and deterioration. In 1896, Pío García Espinosa bought a good part of the land around the monastery and restored it with an authorization from the Archbishop of Santiago de Compostela. He demolished, to undertake the restoration, the front house and the priory church, built a crenellated pavilion and rebuilt the chapel of Saint Elizabeth.