INTRODUCTION
The Church of Saint Nicholas or Saint John presides over the square “Conde de Fenosa” in Portomarin. This village is right on Saint James´ Way and here came the order of the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem in the 12th century to take charge of the hospital for pilgrims. Today, this church is considered an art icon and one of the best exemples of the Romanesque in Galicia.
HISTORY
This church was built between the end of the 12th century and early 13th century by the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, at the foot of the French pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. It was declared a Historical- Artistic Monument in 1931 and in 1962 it was transferred from its original location to its current location to prevent it from being submerged by the waters of the Belesar reservoir. For this reason, it ´s possible to see the numbering of the blocks.
ARCHITECTURE AND FURNITURE
The church has the structure of a fortress. It consists of a single nave and a semicircular front preceded by a straight stretch. The main façade is crowned by a battlement, with arrow slits and towers on both sides. There is a great relieving arch divided into two parts by an awning. At the top, we can see a huge rose window detailed carved which is one of the largest in Galicia. At the bottom, it is the main portico with three flared semicircular archivolts decorated with motifs related to the workshop of Mateo. We highlight the interior one, where the twenty-four Elders of the Apocalypse are playing their musical instruments. The tympanum, smooth and monolithic, is decorated with the figure of the Pantocrator. The archivolts are on three pairs of columns. The capitals are decorated in rich vegetable. It keeps the North Gate and the South. On the Northern tympanum the Annunciation is depicted, and on the South, a figure with chasuble and mitre between two characters. The archivolts of both doors are richly decorated.
The interior of the Church is sober and elegant. The barrel-vaulted nave is completed with two edges at the stretch opposite the front. The front is covered with barrelvaulted ceiling and shallow barrel vault. On the triumphal arch a rose window lights up the nave. On both sides, there are two baldachins. Remains of Gothic paintings and a 14th century polychromatic wooden sculpture of the crucified Christ are also remarquable. On both sides of the front door, two spiral staircases give access to a corridor at the foot of the large rose window and, from it, to the battlemented round walk and four also battlemented towers.
OPENING HOURS
Every day:
11.00am to 1.00pm
4.00pm to 7.00pm
CONTACT
Object:
Praza Conde de Fenosa
27170 Portomarín,
Lugo, Galicia, Spain
Instutution:
DIPUTACIÓN PROVINCIAL DE LUGO
Servicio de Turismo
San Marcos, 8
27001 Lugo
Galicia, Spain
Phone: +34 982 260 120
Email: turismo@deputacionlugo.org
ENTRANCE FEES & GUIDED TOURS
-Free entry-
Guided visits offered by local guides are available on request.
Please visit: https://turismo.ribeirasacra.org/en/customisedroutes
TOURIST INFORMATION OFFICE
Town Hall
Praza Conde de Fenosa, 1
27178 Portomarín
Lugo, Galicia, Spain
Phone: +34 982 545 070
Email: infoportomarin@concellodeportomarin.es
RIBEIRA SACRA CONSORCIO DE TURISMO
Estrada de Viñoás, 3
32160 Nogueira de Ramuín
Ourense, Galicia, Spain
Phone: +34 638823592
Email: turismo@ribeirasacra.org