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The modern times
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Introduction
The Modern Age is a moment
of deep changes and social
and cultural transformations that
explain the move from the Old
Regime towards the contemporary
world. It is a slow process that did
not happen simultaneously in the
whole territory. The facts that set
the starting point of modern times
are the taking of Constantinople
by the Turks, the invention of the
printer, the bureaucratization of
society, or the emergence of new
ideals.
In the territory of the Euro-Region
Galicia and North of Portugal one
can contemplate the splendour
of Baroque, one of the artistic
styles that has left the most and
the best examples. One can also
enjoy the architectural richness of
the numerous pazos that are still
maintained, or the fortifications
built in strategic coastal areas.
The modern Galicia
The Modern Age starts in Galicia at the end of the 15th century with the
arrival of Fernando de Acuña, whom was given the title of Governor and
General Captain. His mission was to pacify the rebellious Galician nobility.
With him, it was initiated what some people call the taming and castration of
Galicia. The situation that he found was a territory where most of the people
lived in the rural world, and where the cities acted as centres that ruled over
their surroundings.
Some remains of the so-called plateresque style can still be appreciated in the
streets and squares of Galicia. This is a variation of Gothic that was born in
the Catholic Kings’ times, and which left monuments such as the Hostal dos Reis
Católicos in Santiago de Compostela or the basilica of Santa María la
Mayor in Pontevedra.
Meanwhile, in Portugal, there was
peace under the rule of the Avís,
what allowed the country to focus on
the exploration of new territories. The
real revolution was the appearance
of the Manueline style, a peculiar
evolution from flamboyant Gothic that
had a great diffusion in the north of the
country. Some of the best examples of
this style are found in Vila do Conde,
such as the church of Azurara,
the convent of Santa Clara or the
main church of São João Baptista.
This church, one of the gems of the
Manueline style, declared National
Monument in 1910, preserves one
chapel of its transept dedicated to
Nossa Senhora da Boa Viagem,
whose construction was ordered by
the fishermen guild and which is one
of the oldest examples of this style
that are kept in the north of Portugal.
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