The church in Spain was, and perhaps is, very powerful, and so it is natural that we should explore the churches in Pontevedra, and in the other towns and areas which we are visiting.
San Francisco
The Monastery of San Francisco overlooks the Praza de Ferreria in the middle of the old town. The buildings were taken over during the Mendizabal era of the 1830s, and although the church has been retained as such, the monastery has been used for various secular purposes.
Inside the church is quiet and peaceful.
There are several very beautiful tombs and monuments, but I regret to say I have failed to note who they are commemorating. The ladies sitting in a side chapel facing the stained glass windows below were singing and the sound was echoing quietly round the church – one of those serendipitous moments which you always remember.
Santa Domingo
We saw these ruins when we visited Pontevedra very briefly in 2014. The Dominicans originally built a convent close to the old fishing port of the town in the late 13th century. But in 1295 they moved, and started building on the current site. The map of 1856 shows the buildings just south of the Gate of Sta Domingo.
The Dominicans apparently converted part of their gardens into a walk, or park, the Campo de Sta Domingo, and today this is part of the Alameda Park.
In 1719 the English attacked Pontevedra during the War of the Quadruple Alliance and set fire to the church and convent. At the end of the century there was a move to restore the church, but it didn’t go ahead because of a shortage of funds. And then Mendizabal confiscated church possessions and funds, and the established closed in 1836. The building was used for various purposes, but deteriorated and various attempts were made at complete demolition. Fortunately something has now been retained which is now part of the Museum of Pontevedra.
The Monastery of Santa Clara
The Monastery of Santa Clara dates from the 13th century, like Santa Maria and San Domingo, but it was built outside the walls of the town. In 2017 the monastery was closed; the small number of nuns were old, and there were no new applicants. Recently the City Council acquired the buildings which have ambitious plans for redevelopment.
We only managed to explore some of the churches in Pontevedra, but they were always interesting.
I would love to hear from you!