Ribeira Sacra in Galicia

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Ribeira Sacra

Ribeira Sacra (Sacred Riverbank) is a stretch along the Sil River east of Santiago de Compostela where there were an inordinate number of churches and monasteries. The Sil also carves its way through the vertiginous Canon do Sil which provides dramatic landscapes and numerous miradors (viewpoints). It is to this part of Galicia we headed next.

After a twisty drive down a narrow country road we reached Mosteiro de San Pedro de Rocas (Monastery of Saint Peter of the Rock). The main building has been renovated and turned into a visitor’s center but it was closed for lunch and we had the place to ourselves. Although we could not go into the Monastery, the attraction here is the church; it is carved into the mountain hence the name “…of the Rock.” It was small as far as churches go, more like a chapel, and the rock was rough hewn, not smooth and finished. There were no seats but there were the holes of what had to be burial places carved into the floor. They are empty now and wearing slowly away but still very visible. There were also the remains of a world map from 1100 and it is amazing how much about the world they knew, or at least about Europe. After exploring the various nooks and crannies we pulled our lunch out of the car and sat down at the picnic table. It was only misty when we started eating but a few minutes later it began to drizzle so we opened the umbrella and picnicked in the rain.

Just a short drive down the road was Mosteiro San Estevo. This has been renovated and now houses a four star hotel but the three cloisters and the church are open to the public. A cloister is an open courtyard in the middle of a monastery most of them are one or two stories high but we did see some that were three stories. Walkways on all sides are covered but the center is open to the sky. Some of them have gardens and others are just places for quiet reflection. At Mosteiro San Estevo, the smallest cloister was used by the monks as a fish farm so it is called the Hatchery.

We originally missed the turn off for our next stop, Mosteiro Santa Cristina, but went back for it and are glad we did. MSC is partway down the side of Canon do Sil in a small hanging valley and consists of a medieval church, living quarters and a bell tower. It was recently conserved (not renovated but preserved in its current state) so one can safely wander all around and through it. The sanctuary was locked but John found an unlocked side door and we let ourselves in. It was dreary outside and dark inside which lent a spooky air to the entire place. We easily let our imaginations run wild with images of ghostly hands reaching out to slam doors that would lock us in. We saw nothing more ghostly than a cobweb but we did see four beautiful renaissance frescos and the view from the top of the bell tower.

Finally we drove to the town of Monforte de Lemos where we had a reservation at a hotel built in the 16th century Mosteiro Beneditino de San Vicente. The church for the monastery is still an active church but the cloister and living quarters have been renovated into a lovely four star hotel.

The next day we stopped for a few hours in the town of Ribadavia. It is now a small town but in the Middle Ages the Jewish community made wine into a big business and shipped wine around the world. It is still the heart of the well-known Ribeiro wine district. At the tourist office we asked about wine tasting and were told there was nothing official but the host offered to walk us to a nearby bar that served a wide range of wines and explain what we wanted. Once there, he arranged with the bartender for us to try three whites and two reds. The bartender added a third red and poured big samples so we had plenty to drink.

After we had tasted but while we were still drinking, an older man came in and struck up a conversation. His English was as good as our Spanish (i.e. basically none) so we had to rely on the bartender to translate. We told him we were on a one year trip and he asked us about the weather in Colorado. At one point he said “Yankee Go Home” but by his smile he did not mean it. When the bartender’s shift ended his sister took over and she spoke no English so we were on our own. Finally our new friend had to return to work but we all agreed we had a good time.

After a picnic lunch in the park we headed for Portugal so that will be the subject of our next blog.

Spanish Time

Although the clocks are set to European Time, Spain lives in a different time zone, one that is three hours later than the rest of Europe. People eat breakfast at 10am, lunch at 2pm and dinner at 9pm. They go to bed about midnight and go to work about 9 am. Lunch is at least two hours long sometimes up to three hours and, we assume, includes a siesta. They often don’t get off work until 8pm. We have adjusted ourselves to Spanish time (except for the going to work part) and usually get up about 9am and we don’t even think about lunch until at least 1:30.

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Photos

San Pedro de Rocas
The ancient bell tower.

European Red Hair
We see a fair number of women with this color of purplish red hair.

Ancient Crypts
Former graves inside the church at San Pedro de Rocas.

Renaissance Frescos
Inside the spooky church of Mosteiro Santa Cristina

Guard Cat
Ribadavia

Comments

[Ling Li]

Spanish Time
Isn't 9pm normally bed-time for you early-birds? Wow, getting up at 9am........I would never have imagined you doing that!!! I think I'm permanently on Spanish time!