Arosavillagarcia Vistalegre Manor and Monastery Pazo de Vi

Arosavillagarcia Vistalegre Manor and Monastery Pazo de Vistalegre, Villagarcia de Arosa y Convento de Vista Alegre Rúa Vista Alegre, 1, 36600 Vilagarcía de Arousa, Pontevedra The Vistalegre Manor and Monastery (Pazo-Convento de Vista Alegre) has become a must-visit for any tourist passing through the fishing village of Salnes. The entrance to this space forms a real movie scene, with a bridge spanning the Con River leading to the famous Vistalegre Arch, which marks the entrance to the architectural complex. At the same time, on the outer wall, you can still see the big badges and archbishop signs of the time, including the badge of the Marquis of Villagarcia. Pazo de Vista Alegre is located in the center of Vilagarcía de Arousa, a town named after the red bishop of Compostela García de Caamaño Mendoza de Soutomaior, who granted the 'Puebla Charter' in 1461 to establish a town near the Vistalegre or Saint Christopher Fortress with the idea of promoting its development in the minds of the sailors. Don García established his fiefdom and residence there, leading to the construction of the 16th century Vistalegre Manor (Pazo de Vistalegre), where his son established a manor under the grant of Carlos I, unifying the assets of Vistalegre, Barrantes and Rubiáns, and through subsequent purchases of the rights to the Vistalegre Fortress and Villagarcia Manor, it has always belonged to this lineage, until Francisco Lavilla Mayor obtained the rights to the town and ended the old fiefdom. Vistalegre Manor Therefore, Álvaro de Mendoza y Soutomaior built the first palace, which was expanded in 1566 by his brother Rodrigo. As early as the 17th century, Fernando de Andrade Soutomaior y Caamaño became the founder of the Augustinian Recollect Nuns' Church and Monastery. With the large arch of the Vistalegre Palace. The architecture of the manor is of the Renaissance period, made of high-quality granite ashlar, characterized by simple decoration, based on medals, shields and other simple patterns with a bust in the middle. It can be said that originally it had two serrated towers on both sides of its central body. One of them was later (seventeen) moved to the new monastery building. This monastery church, known as San Cristobal, can be attributed to the classical style of the first half of the 17th century by Bartolomé Fernández Lechuga, who may have designed this work, including a rectangular plan with a nave, three-part side chapels, a rectangular main church between the sacristy and the sacristy. The architectural complex was declared a historical-artistic monument, located on land bounded by the old medieval fortress, with part of the city wall next to the Con River preserved. Inside, 17th-century Flemish and Italian tapestries and paintings are preserved. Villagarcia de Arosa O Salnes