This is a continuing series of photographs from our Galicia Road Trip (with a few stops in Asturias) last August.
In my last couple of posts from our Galicia road trip from last summer, I explained why we had to abandon our original plans for the last three days of our stay in what should have been Ribadavia. Instead, we fled the generational wildfires that were raging across central Galicia (alas, even worse wildfires have charred central Spain, near Madrid, this year) and relocated to the province of Pontevedra, near the Galician coast.
On our first day, we visited Combarro, considered Galicia’s most beautiful coastal village. On our second day, we visited Cambados, another one of Galicia’s most charming cities (and there are many!). So with one day left (another glorious sunny day), we figured we’d might as well visit the city of Pontevedra.
City of Pontevedra
“Pontevedra dá de beber a quen pasa” is a Galician proverb that expresses the essence of the city of Pontevedra, the second most important historic center in Galicia, and the second largest “old town” in Galicia after Santiago de Compostela. Surrounded by hills, the city is located on the edge of a ria at the mouth of the Lérez river by the sea, at the end of the Ria de Pontevedra, in the heart of the Rías Baixas. It’s about a 45 minute drive south of Santiago de Compostela, located just north of Vigo (the most populous municipality in Galicia).
Galicia is divided into “comarcas” (a traditional informal territorial division), with the city of Pontevedra being the capital of both the Comarca and Province of Pontevedra, and the capital of the Rías Baixas (a series of four fjord-like estuaries in Galicia that we plan to visit on our next trip to the region).
The origins of Pontevedra date back to the Roman era, when it was a small settlement originally known as Ad Duos Pontes (meaning “at the two bridges”) but I’m gonna fast-forward to the 16th century, when Pontevedra was the largest Galician port. One of Christopher Columbus’ ships, the Santa Maria, originally named “La Gallega”, was built in Pontevedra.
The end of the 16th century marked the beginning of the decline of the city, a decline which had already started for the rest of Galicia from the end of the 15th century. However, with the end of the Franco dictatorship in 1975, Pontevedra has seen intense urban renewal and cultural revival, positively influencing the local economy. Initiated in 1999 under Mayor Miguel Anxo Fernández Lores, the strategy transformed a congested, polluted city center into a human-centric, nearly car-free zone.
Pontevedra has been recognized numerous times for its urban planning, transforming the city center into a pedestrian zone and becoming one of the most accessible cities for disabled people. The city was less than a 15 minute drive from our hotel in nearby Poio but you will have to locate a parking lot (underground or at designated locations on the streets) before entering the historic old town.
The city has claimed the international European Intermodes Urban Mobility Award in 2013, the 2014 Dubai International Best Practices Award for Sustainable Development, the Excellence Award of the center for Active Design in New York City in 2015, and the European Commission’s first prize for urban safety in 2020.
So let’s check out a few of the city’s attractions, yes?
Las Ruinas de Santo Domingo
The ruins of Santo Domingo are the remains of a 14th – century Gothic convent. The Dominicans (an order of the Catholic Church that depended on the alms of others founded by Castilian priest and Catholic saint Dominic of Guzman) arrived in Pontevedra at the end of the 13th century. A small community of friars is documented in 1282. They began construction of the Gothic church in the 13th century.
In the 14th and early 15th centuries, they attempted a Neoclassical reconstruction, but it was left unfinished, as was the demolition of the Gothic apse of the original church. Over the years, it has served as a women’s prison, a hospice, and a nursery school, but the building gradually deteriorated and fell into ruin.
The chancel of the church, with its five polygonal apses, and a side wall with a small doorway and rose window, are still standing. Most of the pieces in the archaeology section, the most valuable ones, are no longer here because of the deterioration they suffered from being outdoors; they were moved to the extension of the Pontevedra Museum. It wasn’t open during our time there but we’ll be back…
Iglesia de la Virgen Peregrina (Church of Our Lady of the Pilgrimage)
The Iglesia de la Virgen Peregrina is one of the most emblematic and representative buildings in the city of Pontevedra. Construction of the church began in the 16th century, specifically in 1778, under the direction of the Portuguese architect Antonio Souto, to honor Our Lady of the Pilgrimage, patron saint of the province of Pontevedra and of the Portuguese Way of St. James.
Its façade is crowned by an allegorical image of Faith, as well as by two identical towers that rise on either side of the church. The one on the left, better known as the north tower, was struck by lightning in 1795 and had to be rebuilt. In 1896, a clock from the Hospital of San Juan de Dios , a landmark building in Pontevedra that had been demolished, was added to this tower. The hospital’s bells were also installed in the chapel.
The main altarpiece, designed in 1789 by Spanish architect Melchor de Prado (with variations carried out by his brother Manuel and Juan Pernas Gambino), is Neoclassical in style, and above it is a relief depicting the Flight into Egypt and an image of the Pilgrim Virgin with the Child Jesus in her arms.
The church floor plan is shaped like a scallop shell (a key symbol of the Camino de Santiago), which you can better appreciate from the upper vantage point by climbing the stairs that leads to the interior upper level of the oval dome, allowing you to look down at the layout and interior space of the church.
Throughout history, the chapel has undergone several restorations to maintain it in good condition. One of the most significant projects took place in 1981, as the church presented structural damage, including large cracks caused by a shift in the foundations. The most recent renovation was in 2008, during which restoration work was carried out on the walls, stained-glass windows, paintings, and the clock in the tower.
The Iglesia de la Virgen Peregrina was declared a Historic-Artistic Monument in 1982 and a Site of Cultural Interest in 2011.
Plaza de las Cinco Calles (Five Streets Square)
The Plaza de las Cinco Calles in Pontevedra’s historic center gets its name from the five streets of the old town that converge there. A Baroque stone cross dating from 1779 stands in the square as a symbol of Galician folk art. Acclaimed Galician novelist Ramón del Valle-Inclán lived in this house when he wrote his book “Femeninas”.
Iglesia de Santa María la Mayor
The Iglesia de Santa María la Mayor is an example of Isabelline Gothic architecture. The construction of the current temple was promoted by the archbishops of Santiago de Compostela, Alonso de Fonseca y Acevedo and Alonso de Fonseca y Ulloa, and supported by several noble families of the town, as well as several guild entities. The influential Pontevedra Seafarers’ Guild (Cofradía do Corpo Santo) played a key role in financing the basilica, covering the costs with baskets of fish obtained from their work at sea.
Built in the 16th century, it was commissioned by the Fishermen’s Guild. Its architects were João Noble and Flemish sculptor Cornelius de Holanda. Its façades are impressive. The main façade, features a wide access staircase with three richly decorated sections in the Plateresque style (an artistic movement , especially architectural , developed by the Spanish monarchy).
The church has been a minor basilica since 1962, the year Pope John XXIII bestowed this title upon it. Moreover, it was declared a Historical-Artistic Monument belonging to the National Artistic Treasury by decree of June 3, 1931, and also has the distinction of “Royal Sanctuary”, which was granted to it in the year 2000, by King Juan Carlos I of Spain.
Alas, the church was closed when we arrived so I have no internal shots. Next time…
We spent the better part of the afternoon walking around the lovely city of Pontevedra before heading home to get ready for our last night in Galicia. The plan? Watch the sun set over the beach in nearby O Grove.