The Enchanting Coastal Town of Cambados in Galicia | The Capital of Albariño wine
This is a continuing series of photographs from our Galicia Road Trip (with a few stops in Asturias) last August.
If you’ve been following our Galicia road trip series, you’d know that last year’s regional wildfires caused us to completely change our plans for the last three days of or stay in Galicia and relocate to the Pontevedra region (alas, even worse wildfires raging close to Madrid this year). In my last post we arrived in Poio, checked into the Hotel Liñares, and visited what is considered Galicia’s most beautiful village, Combarro. And beautiful it was.
It also made us realize that maybe it was here, in Pontevedra, that we were “summoned to” (perhaps?) to close out our trip. Weird, I know. But things just kept getting better, especially when we visited the coastal town of Cambados on our second day (less than a half hour drive from our hotel). An exceptionally gorgeous sunny day (not always the best for street photography but we weren’t complaining!)
Historic Center, Cambados
The historic town of Cambados, on the banks of the Arousa river, is the capital of the Albariño wine producing region. Its low, sandy coastline is protected from the wind by the peninsula O Grove and the isthmus of La Lanzada. It was populated by the Celts, Phoenicians, and Romans at one point or another. A Roman site is still preserved near the church of Santa Mariña de Dozo (photographs forthcoming).
Cambados is famous for its Albariño white wine. The area is generally moist, cool and windy, contributing to the grape’s thickness and the wine’s strong aroma. It has only been within the last decade that Albariño has become world-renowned and even grown outside of Galicia. This wine has been nicknamed “the wine of the sea” because of its coastal vineyards and its compatibility with seafood (caused by its acidity).
In Cambados, seafood is mostly collected in “O Serrido” or “A Seca”, which is an area of water surrounding the San Tome Tower (photographs forthcoming) that empties of water during low tide, leaving the perfect area for seafood collectors. Large groups of them go when the tide is low with their buckets and tools to dig up the sand and collect seafood (clams, cockles, etc.) The town was named a Site of Cultural Interest in 2001 and was named European City of Wine in 2017.
Igrexa de San Bieito
The Igrexa de San Bieito (Church of Saint Benedict) is located in the Pazo de Fefiñáns and was built on the ruins of an old Romanesque chapel by order of nobleman Don Gonzalo de Valladares between 1618 and 1634. The current church was rebuilt on the site of an earlier 15th-century Romanesque church and consecrated to Saint Benedict.
The Church of San Benito is notable for its two towers that rise on either side of the main façade, each housing a small bell tower. These two towers break with the neoclassical aesthetic of the rest of the building and lend a Baroque style to the structure. Both the main façade and the towers date from the late 18th century.
One of two granite figures known as the Balboas, wearing warlike clothes with a mace and a shield, guard the tombs of their lords located inside the sacred temple, as well as symbolically protect the square and the church.
The inside the church features a large vaulted ceiling and two chapels containing the tombs of Don Gonzalo de Valladares and his wife, Doña María Ozores, both located beneath two large arches. It has been declared a Site of Cultural Interest since 2012.
Pazo de Fefiñáns
The L-shaped Pazo de Fefiñáns was built in the 16th century by Don Juan Sarmiento Valladares, advisor to King Philip II. The ground floor of the Palace houses an Albariño winery, “Bodegas del Palacio de Fefiñanes”, which is considered to be the first to bottle the wine of the area under the brand “Albariño de Fefiñanes”, a trademark registered in 1928.
The Pazo of Fefiñáns once featured four Baroque-style arched bridges, only this one remains.
Apparently, the Pazo ain’t a bad place for a snuggle either…
Monumento a Ramón Cabanillas
A bronze sculpture of Spanish poet Ramón Cabanillas Enríquez crafted by local artist Lucas Miguez, depicts Cabanillas seated on a bench with his notebook in hand. Cabanillas, who was born in Cambados, was hailed by his contemporaries as the ” Poet of the Race” and is credited with leading Galician poetry into modernity.
Clear blue skies and bright sun made photographs a challenge due to the harsh shadows. Again, not complaining – just saying…
Casa das Cunchas
Built in the 19th century, the Casa das Cunchas (House of Shells) stands out for its exterior design in the form of numerous scallop shells embedded in its main facade (similar to the larger Casa de las Conchas in Salamanca). The building forms part of the historical legacy of the town of Cambados.
Capela do Hospital
This 17th-century chapel was originally built as a hospital for the sick. Its Baroque style and altarpieces, also from the same period, featuring images of Our Lady of Candelaria and Jesus of Nazareth, are particularly noteworthy. The exterior is dominated by a large central bell tower.
Fuente del Rañeiro
The Fuente del Rañeiro (“Monument to the shellfish gatherer”) is located on the Paseo da Calzada by the estuary in the Jardines de la Calzada. It was created by Spanish sculptor Alfonso Vilar in 1969. The original piece consisted of stones arranged to resemble a boat but due to its deterioration over the years, the sculpture was replaced with the current traditional Galician fishing boat and sailor in 2017.
Ruinas de Santa Mariña de Dozo
Near the foot of the hill of A Pastora are the remains of the former parish church of Santa Mariña, patron saint of Cambados. The feudal lord Lope Sánchez de Ulloa built the church of Santa Mariña de Dozo on the site of a 12th-century Romanesque chapel. It was later restored and enlarged by his daughter, María de Ulloa, at the end of the 15th century.
It comprises a single nave divided by four transverse Romanesque arches, five side chapels, a sacristy, and a chapel. The church was abandoned for political and religious reasons in the 19th century and eventually became a parish cemetery. The site is considered “el cementerio más melancólico del mundo” (the most melancholic cemetery in the world) in the words of the Galician writer Álvaro Cunqueiro.
Its remains were declared a National Monument in 1943. In 2014, the Ruins of Santa Mariña de Dozo were chosen as the third most important funerary monument in Spain, and are also included in the prestigious Association of Significant Cemeteries of Europe (ASCE).
Las Ruinas de Santa Mariña de Dozo really deserve their own gallery so CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE PHOTOGRAPHS
Torre de San Sadurniño
About an 18 minute walk west from the ruins, in the marine neighborhood of Santo Tomé, resides what little is left of the castle and the Torre de San Sadurniño, which was built during the 8th or 9th century AD. It may have been erected on the site of an even older structure. Researchers who examined the site suggest that the first tower was built by the Romans or Phoenicians.
Some researchers suggest the tower was built to protect the settlement from Viking sieges. It also served as a way to warn other towns and cities, from Cambados to Santiago de Compostela, of impending attacks. The tower was visible from Catoira, a strategic location for the defense and protection of Santiago. Throughout the centuries, it was used against the Normans, the barbarians, and many others (the good old days, yes?).
The tower was rebuilt during the 12th century but was destroyed during the battles of the Irmandiño revolt , between 1466 and 1470. It was bought a few years later by the brother of a famous Galician rebel, Pedro Madruga , who rebuilt it. In 1755, a massive earthquake struck, damaging the entire western coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The tower was again destroyed and left with only two walls standing. Later, it became public property and is now one of the most distinctive landmarks in Cambados. It can be accessed via a narrow bridge from Mouta beach.
CLICK HERE To view the full gallery
