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From Gallaecia to the Euro-Region
Pre-Romanesque art
This period has left artistically interesting religious buildings. Others, such as the
first basilica of Santiago de Compostela, were destroyed in the following,
successive reconstructions, and are only known through the archaeological data.
This basilica in Santiago, started in 872 and rebuilt after the attack by Almanzor
in 997, had a basilica floor plan, with a rectangular front framing the apostolic
sarcophagus, three naves and an arcade, opened through arches, as well as
decorative elements that clearly linked it to the Asturian art.
Among the temples that have reached
out days, one of the most interesting
ones of this pre-Romanesque art is
Santa María de Mixós in Monterrei,
3 kilometres far from Verín. Although it
was remodelled in the 16th century, it
keeps intact its original front, something
that allows to know its former structure.
It had three naves, the central one
wider and higher, separated by
arches of which some startings are still
maintained. These naves ended in the
three apses that were maintained, with
an infrequent configuration: an access
horseshoe arc, covered with brick
vaults. Another curiosity is that its floor
plan is not corresponded in the inside
and in the outside: inside the temple,
it has a semi-circular shape, but this is
not seen in the outer façade, where it
has a quadrangular finish, and small
windows with horseshoe arches. In
these same apses, the existence of
other elements attracts attention, such
as wall paintings in the central one
(late-medieval) and two Roman altars
supporting other two, a witness of the
important Romanization of this area.
To finish the tour around the art of
this period, it is recommended to visit
three interesting examples within a
30-kilometres radius from the city of
Ourense:
- San Xes de Francelos (Ribadavia),
with its characteristic latticework and
the decoration of the façade with pre-
Romanesque bas-reliefs.
- Santa Eufemia de Ambía (Xunqueira
de Ambía), with a similar configuration
in its front as Mixós, where the
geminated windows stand out.
- San Miguel de Celanova, a
jewel of the Mozarabic art, unique
in Galicia. It is an oratory, a tiny,
but architectonically complex chapel.
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