Ribeira Sacra is an area in the interior of Galicia where the Sil and Miño rivers meet and includes the provinces of Ourense and Lugo. The capital of the Ribeira Sacra is the city of Monforte de Lemos (Lugo). But, why do a route through the Ribeira Sacra? We tell you that the landscapes are impressive and unique; You can only find them in this beautiful Galician area.
What to see on the route through the Ribeira Sacra?
Ribeira Sacra is characterized by its dreamlike landscapes, bucolic at some points along the way, but full of majesty. For example, near the village of Os Peares, the river Sil runs along a deep canyon and forms a visual and unusual spectacle that you will love; it is about the Sil canyon. The Ribeira Sacra area is full of old monasteries, hermitages and convents that were founded since the beginning of Christianity. In fact, the first information about this land comes to us from manuscripts dating from the 12th century.
This area of Galicia has left us as an inheritance a very valuable cultural heritage in which we can find not only monasteries, convents, hermitages or churches, but also castles, pazos and bridges; the heritage ends up being enriched with numerous forts and archaeological remains from the Metal Age. There are even a series of remains that attest to the presence of Roman legions at the westernmost end of the powerful Roman Empire.
The route through the Ribeira Sacra is for all tastes. For the more adventurous, a catamaran ride on the Sil; here you can cross part of the impressive canyon through which this river flows and which was formed millions of years ago. Continuing with extreme sports, the orography of these lands allows all kinds of sports activities such as abseiling to be practiced, but it is also possible to take beautiful hiking trails.
If you do not have much adventurous spirit, Ribeira Sacra offers you endless places of cultural and gastronomic interest that include, of course, the tasting of wines from the region and whose denomination of origin, how could it be otherwise, is Ribeira Sacra.
Montforte de Lemos: beginning of the route through the Ribeira Sacra
Monforte de Lemos is considered, by many, the gateway to the Ribeira Sacra. It is one of the most populated cities in Lugo and has a very vast cultural heritage. Here you can enjoy countless castles, monasteries, convents, pazos, bridges … An ideal place for lovers of art, culture and history. The heart of Monforte de Lemos is Mount San Vicente. Here you can find the San Vicente do Pino monumental complex, made up of the Torre da Homenaxe, Pazo dos Condes de Lemos and the San Vicente do Pino monastery . What better way to start the route through Ribeira Sacra here ?
The city of Monforte de Lemos is characterized by its walls and towers, as well as an irregular layout. In the circumscription of the walls the visitor will find the three gates: Caldea Vella, A Alcazaba and Nova, which lead to the old part of the city. In Monforte it is also important to go through the Old Bridge, of Roman origin and with important medieval details. Following the path of the bridge, you will find the convent of the Clarisas, with an impressive museum of sacred art, which is one of the most important in Spain. On the way to the river Cabe, you can go to the Colegio de Nosa Señora da Antiga, known as The Little Galician Escorial and whose museum houses some works by El Greco.
More places to see in Monforte de Lemos? The narrowest house in Spain: with a depth of 20 m and a width of 1.50 and which is accredited by the Guiness Book. If you are a book lover, we recommend a visit to the Pazo de Tor, which houses an impressive library with more than 8,000 books, as well as weapons and other antiques.
Following the Minho
After Monforte and continuing with the route through the Ribeira Sacra, we recommend visiting the Santo Estevo de Ribas de Miño church, near the Belesar reservoir; the church is one of the most spectacular in the region and offers idyllic landscapes. After visiting the church, go to the village of Belesar and visit one of the vineyards where the vine of the delicious local wine is grown. It is in Belesar where you can take the catamaran to tour the Os Peares reservoir and it descends along the Miño River: in the summer months the excursion times are more frequent than in autumn. The tour lasts two hours.
After the catamaran tour, you can go to the church of San Paio de Diomondi (built in the 12th century), which is just past the small village of Buxán. Once you have visited this beautiful church, go to that of San Miguel de Eiré, built in a Galician Romanesque style from the 12th century and which is quite peculiar; this church is located in Eiré. Following this route, you will reach O Castro de Ferreira, the capital of Pantón and where you can visit numerous buildings such as the Town Hall Square or the Madres Bernardas Monastery.
This place is of great interest since, since its foundation and continuously, it is the only Galician monastery occupied only by women. You cannot leave the monastery without a good supply of almond-shaped artisans made by the nuns.
Mao river canyon
On the road that connects Perada de Sil with A Teixeira and O Castro de Caldelas is the Mao river canyon , which joins the Sil in Barxacova. From this point on, a very unique route begins for visitors. It is possible to carry out the route on a spectacular wooden footbridge that is located at a good height above the land on the banks of the river; The walk is done passing very close to the tops of the chestnut, oak, strawberry or laurel trees. Not suitable if you are afraid of heights!
After this foray through the forest, it is advisable to visit the Santo Estevo de Ribas de Sil monastery, which has been restored by the Paradores Network and, without a doubt, is an ideal place to spend the night or go to its restaurant and taste some of the delicious dishes of Galician gastronomy.
End of the route through the Ribeira Sacra
In the last stage of the route through the Ribeira Sacra, it is advisable to go to the monastery of Santa María, in the town of Xunqueira de Espadanedo, belonging to Ourense. Xunqueira stands out not only for its Cistercian monastery, with its “casas da neve” on Mount Meda, but also for its pottery. The traditional pottery of Niñodaguia is the only active one in Ourense and here you can visit the Museo-Taller da Olería de Niñodaguia. Curiously, the Town Hall is located inside the old monastery.
After leaving Xunqueira behind, you will arrive at Vilariño Frío, where it is essential to stop to visit its Roman bridge. Of course, to make this visit you have to travel about 400 meters on foot; During the winter months, the waters that pass under this bridge grow considerably.
