One of the tourist attractions of the city of Ferrol is As Meninas de Canido. And what is this? Going back in history, let’s go back to 2008. That year, Eduardo Hermida had the idea of painting some of Velázquez’s Meninas, in his own style, on a façade in his neighbourhood, one of those neighbourhoods in which at that time it was not very appealing to go for a walk, due to the state it was in. This was the germ of what over the years would become a well-known international urban art festival. Every year, on the first weekend of September, the event brings together around 100 artists from all over the world, who leave their mark on the upper quarter of Ferrol. Besides being able to attend their work in progress, we have concerts, conferences, workshops, gastronomic fair, handicrafts… The padere of the idea is also the guide of the tourist routes to Canido offered by the city council. Today there are more than 450 murals giving life to the neighbourhood, which used to be more grey.

Another example of a city council involved in urban art is Carballo. Here, linked to the initiative “Tearing down walls with paint”, the Rexenera Fest, Carballo’s international public art festival, has been organised since 2014. Since then, it has been held every year during the first week of spring. Today, the city already has more than 70 murals on walls and party walls and, of course, it has its own tourist route, by areas: O Chorís, A Milagrosa, Rego da Balsa, Pazo da cultura and A Lagoa.

In 2015, the “Vigo City of Colour” project was launched in Vigo, with which Galicia’s most populated city also joined the street art trend. Since the first edition, the city centre has been renewed by brush, roller and spray. On the other hand, the Mural Battle, a 6-hour graffiti battle with a theme, in which the prize is to paint a wall, is now in its sixth edition. The city council proposes three routes to walk through different areas of the city to contemplate the works.

It can be said that this urban art is already something inherent to a greater or lesser extent in big cities, but who would have thought that in the heart of Ribeira Sacra we would find “Art in the air”, which is what they call there the 1.5 km tourist route to see the murals? Well, yes, the municipality of Quiroga has taken advantage of the project “A touch of colour in Ribeira Sacra”, promoted by the Ribeira Sacra tourism consortium, to really give colour. The premises are that the paintings refer to the land, or to popular characters, or to places or local products, such as wine, honey and oil. In addition to 12 murals, which is quite a lot for a town of around 3,200 inhabitants, there are also sculptures and themed benches.

With such a proliferation of urban artists, it is logical that three Galician murals were finalists for the Best Mural in the World 2023 (according to the renowned platform Street Art Cities). Let’s remember that the Julio César mural by Diego As from Lugo, in front of the wall of Lugo, had already been the best of the year 2021. This year’s finalists were: Yoe33, also from Lugo, nominated for Corpora o A Castrexa, in Lugo (chosen as the best of June); Lula Goce, from Baiona, for A Dona do Esteiro, in A Ramallosa, in Nigrán; and Sfhir, from Madrid, for the untitled mural depicting a cellist playing, in Fene, A Coruña. And who won the prize?… Sfhir’s mural! Lula Goce’s came second and Yoe33’s third. Congratulations to all of them! The winner, by the way, inaugurated the Perla Mural Fest, in Fene, held from 7 to 13 August 2023, in memory of the disappeared Sala Perla, a very significant venue for the neighbourhood, which began as a party hall in the 60s of the last century. Virginia Bersabé and Rubén Paz Trece Trazos also took part in the festival. After this success, there are sure to be many editions in the future. And, for Sfhir, many trips painting around the world. One thing is clear: to see the best murals in the world, you have to come to Galicia.

There is something about this mountain that was chosen for thousands of years as a place of population settlement. In addition to the ideal strategic situation, dominating the sea, river and land, maybe something has to do with the telluric, the legend, the mystery… By the way, before the first excavations, the residents of the area spoke of the remains of constructions that they found as “little houses of mouros” (characters from Galician mythology who live underground, surrounded by treasures). It is also logical, since as soon as they scratched the ground, they found some prehistoric piece, a treasure, so as not to think that the mouros had something to do with it…

Before the famous citania, there were already human traces. Testimony of them are the quantity of petroglyphs, from between 3,000 and 2,000 BC. found in the mountains. There are more than 16 groups of petroglyphs inside the city walls and 12 outside them. Some represent figures of animals or geometric shapes, but most are engravings of concentric circles, many with central bowls, spirals, bowls, and serpentine figures. Some authors interpret them as symbols of constellations, related to astral and solar rites. On Pico de San Francisco there is a very curious group of petroglyphs: Laxe do Mapa, made up of various spirals, concentric circles and linear lines. It is called like this because it has been interpreted as a map of the mountain and its paths.

The MASAT preserves many pieces from different eras: from prehistory (scrapers, bifaces…), from the Bronze Age (bronze axes, cave engravings…), from the castro era (labras, torque finishes ) and Roman influence (anthropomorphic funerary stelae, coins, Cabezón do Trega). Among the castro remains there are many carvings with trisquels, knots, spirals, rosettes… It is also thought that they were related to solar rites.

With the arrival of the Romans, the decorations integrate their own references, such as Hercules and, with the arrival of the Christian cult, Christian symbols enter the mountain, so that the social and religious changes throughout the ages can be seen on the mountain. centuries.

Among all the stones of Santa Trega, the legend tells us of three magical stones, whose location is unknown, of course. Each one of them with a spirit inside: that of water, that of gold and that of fire. If we find the one with gold and raise it, our financial problems would end forever; if it were that of fire, terrible monsters would set the surroundings on fire; and if it were the water, a tsunami would flood everything. Almost better to leave them where they are…

And, of course, the Trega is also a candidate to be the mythical mount Medulio, the one in which in 22 BC a redoubt of Galicians, Artabrians and Astures opted for suicide before ending up in Roman hands.

One thing is clear: this mountain is full of history, legends, views… so… You have to plan an excursion as soon as possible! And, if we want a party, let it coincide with the Festa do Monte, in August, or with the Santa Trega pilgrimage, on September 23. Always respecting the mountain, which is a great treasure.

Several Galician cemeteries are recognized by the ASCE (Association of Significant Cemeteries in Europe): English Cemetery of Camariñas, Santa Mariña Dozo in Cambados, San Francisco in Ourense, San Amaro in A Coruña and San Froilán in Lugo. These last two, are also included in the Route of European Cemeteries.

Let’s stop to think: Do we know the cemeteries of our city? And the outsiders? Where will Rosalía be buried? And Pondal? How about we take a tour of the most beautiful cemeteries in Galicia?

English Cemetery, Camariñas. Between the point of O Boi and the point Cagada there had already been shipwrecks, but that of the English battleship Serpent, on November 10, 1890, was the most serious, with 172 dead. Only three crew members were saved. With the help of the entire town, a cemetery was built to bury the 142 recovered bodies, in front of what has since been called “baixo do Serpent”. The remains of the captain and the officers rest in the inner enclosure and, outside, those of the sailors. It is a very simple construction, dominated by the landscape, with Mount Branco in the background and the large reserve of Corema album flowers.

Cambados Cemetery. “The most melancholic cemetery in the world”, according to Cunqueiro, is located next to the ruins of the church of Santa Mariña Dozo. This is a temple of maritime Gothic style from the 12th century, with remains of the previous Romanesque chapel, and was abandoned in the 19th century. Practically we only see the skeleton of the church. Here is buried Josefina Blanco, Valle-Inclán’s wife, next to her son.

Adina Cemetery, Iria Flavia. It is next to the church of Santa María de Iria Flavia. “O simiterio de Adina/ n´hai doubt that it is enchanting,/ cos seus olivos escuros/ de vella remembrance”: this is how Rosalía de Castro saw it, who was buried here until 1891, when she was taken to the Pantheon of the Illustrious in Santiago. There are no niches here, all the tombstones are attached to the ground. And they are very old, there are even anthropomorphic sarcophagi from between the 6th and 10th centuries. There are also two stone crosses and several ancient olive trees. Camilo José Cela sleeps forever under one of them.

Santa Maria A Nova, Noia. The cemetery is next to the church, which is in the maritime Gothic style, with a single nave with a wooden roof. It houses the Museo de las Laudas, where we find guild tombstones and medieval sarcophagi. In the cemetery, the Gothic transept and another with a canopy, “O Cristo do Humilladoiro”, from the 16th century, stand out. In addition, it has more than five hundred graves and tombstones from between the fourteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Mondoñedo Old Cemetery. The structure of this cemetery is undisguisedly classist: in the upper area, the pantheons of the upper class; in the middle one, the middle-class tombs and, in the one closest to the ground, the burials of humble people. Dust we are… We can see the tombstones of Cunqueiro, Leiras Pulpeiro and Pascual Veiga, among others. The civil cemetery area is used as a park.

Cemetery of San Francisco, Ourense. It stands on the slopes of Montealegre, next to the old convent of San Francisco. It has high-quality sculptural groups, such as those of Faílde. Here lie Blanco Amor, Otero Pedrayo, Risco, Cuevillas, Parada Justel… There is also the poet José Ángel Valente, who was honorary president of the Association of Friends of the Cemetery, and one of the promoters of its conservation. Here also rests Asunción González Vázquez, considered the first recorded victim of sexist violence in Ourense. His tombstone reads: “Poor Asunción!”

San Froilán Cemetery, Lugo. It is 500 m from the Camino Primitivo de Santiago. It is the work of the rationalist architect Eloy Maquieira, and stands out for its clean spatial arrangement. Many of the funerary constructions were moved from the old municipal cemetery. It is a very active cemetery: it organizes photography competitions, training days, guided tours, dramatized readings, concerts…

San Amaro Cemetery, A Coruña. Here eternal rest  overlooks the sea. There is a religious area, another civil and the British, closed to the public. In addition, it has some collective monument, such as the one dedicated to the Martyrs of Liberty, to the victims of the Montrove plane crash in 1973 or the Broken Column in memory of the general strike of 1901. Among the tombstones we find the names of Isidoro Brocos, Eduardo Pondal, Murguia…

Pereiro Cemetery, Vigo. It was designed by Jenaro Pérez de la Fuente, who was even in charge of the pantheon where his remains rest, right here, of course. Walking among the tombs is walking through the history of the city, it looks like a street map from Vigo: Policarpo Sanz, Sanjurjo Badía, Cachamuíña, García Barbón… Although the star is Concepción Arenal. There is also a Garden of Historical Memory, in the civil cemetery. Another attraction is the Dodge Carreiro, an elegant hearse from c. 1930.

Bonaval Park, Santiago. The Bonaval cemetery, next to the convent of Santo Domingo de Bonaval, was inaugurated in 1847 and continually expanded until it was no longer used for funerary purposes in 1960. It has been converted into a magnificent park, rehabilitated by Siza, which preserves empty funerary structures . In the church of the convent we can visit the Pantheon of the Illustrious Gallegos, where Rosalía de Castro, Alfredo Brañas, Cuevillas, Asorey, Fontán and, aside, Castelao are.

The first of all, the oldest, which made Ourense as a city of its time, is the one dedicated to Padre Feijoo, from 1887. It was held to commemorate the bicentennial of his birth, although its inauguration would be slightly delayed. It was made by Juan Soler y Dalmau, on a pedestal by the architect Zabala. The statue motivated the conditioning of the gardens in which it is located, as well as its name: Padre Feijoo Gardens. The bronze figure represents the intellectual with a pen in his right hand and the Universal Critical Theater in his left. To celebrate the first urban sculpture in the city, the inauguration was in style. Throughout the week there was a party, including a literary contest, chaired by Pardo Bazán, the premiere of the Orfeón Unión Ourensá, a gala ball… Quite an event in Ourense at the time.

Next to the gardens there is a much more recent sculpture, from 2002, also in bronze on a granite pedestal. It is O Mouchiño or Monument to the comic heroes, by Xaime Quessada: a faun playing the aulos on the back of an owl with outstretched wings. On the floor, small plaques with the names of trading cards and comics that fueled the imagination of postwargeneration. At that time, the children of Ourense, including Quessada himself, would gather right in this place to exchange their treasures.

The second oldest statue in the city, after Feijoo, is the one made in honor of Concepción Arenal. It is the work of Aniceto Marinas, and was inaugurated in the gardens of the Alameda in 1898. It presents the honoree standing, dressed in a simple dress and mantle, holding a pen and some sheets of paper, as if resting from writing. At the base, symbols of her work: chains and books. In this case, the inauguration was not as pompous as that of Padre Feijoo, due to the crisis of the time. It was originally located in the upper part of the Alameda, in the Obispo Cesáreo square, but in 1969 it was moved in front of the old courts, in the middle of traffic, and of great controversy, by the way. The worst of all was that with the move the granite and marble pedestal designed by Parada Justel disappeared, which has nothing to do with its replacement.

Two works by Luis Borrajo brought a new air to the city. One is the Casa da Nube, commissioned by Pepe Casabella for his remodeling of As Burgas in 1989. It is a constructivist work in corten steel that fits very well in that space with hot water and steam. According to the author, it symbolizes the union of the old and the new Ourense. His other sculpture is Muller espida, from 2002, which is in the Alameda. It is one of the few figurative works by Borrajo, which represents a bronze naked woman lying on a low stone base, as if she were on a towel on the beach, very close to the people.

And for close ones, the sculptures that mingle with passers-by, on a real scale. Wait a minute, are we in the 21st century or the 19th? What is that milkmaid doing here, selling milk in the capital? Well, when we see that it is all hard and made of bronze, we realize that it is A Leiteira by Ramón Conde, from 1999. The sculptor himself chose where to place it, at the intersection between the streets of the Paseo and that of the Architect Alejandro Outeiriño Rodríguez, due to the effects of light and the concurrence of people in the area.

The same author has another sculptural group perched on the ground, Coleman e Reverter, from 2010, a tribute to the creators of Rally de Ourense. They appear sitting on the nose of the famous Alpinche (Renault Alpine tuned with a Porsche engine) with which they competed many times. It is in the San Lázaro Park, in front of the Government Subdelegation. By the way, at one of the entrances to the park we have a large Anxo de Asorey, from 1951.

And we continue walking among the people and the statues. Be careful not to get lost, let’s not collide with O Carrabouxo, who is lost in thought reading the newspaper. Well thought out, it’s hard to trip, he’s quite tall and wears a yellow sweater that can be seen from afar. The work, made by César Lombera in 2002, pays homage to the character of Xosé Lois, who has given his humoristic view of the world in the local newspaper since 1982. A one hundred percent symbol of Ourense.

Another symbol of Ourense, the city of the magostos (roasted chestnuts), is the chestnut. With A Castañeira, installed on Curros Enríquez street in 2001, Xosé Cid pays homage to those women who sold chestnuts in the street, before the time of the locomotives. In the piece, in bronze on a small circular stone base, we see an old seller with a cone, some chestnuts in a basket, others in a drum and a stool. Mmm… how good they smell…

And we cannot say goodbye to Ourense without going through the Miño. In 2002, at the roundabout of Os Remedios, next to the Millennium Bridge, Nexus-6, a granite sculpture by Xosé Lois Carrera, was installed. It is a male torso coming out with effort from some stone blocks, as if being born or taking off from them, waking up. The title refers to the clever androids from Philip K. Dick’s novel, called “replicants” in the movie Blade Runner.

O Salnés region is known for its beaches, wines… and sculptures. Francisco Asorey, Leiro, Manolo Paz… are from there. O Grove is a place of reference, especially since 1990, with the first edition of the International Sculpture Symposium, which coincides with the Seafood Festival. In each call, the selected works become part of the artistic heritage of the city. Since 2011, the Open Air Sculpture Biennale has also been held. The raw material is always granite. On the Paseo Marítimo, from Punta Moreira, there is an assorted repertoire of figures looking at the sea. But one of the most unique stands on a rock on the urban beach of O Confin. It is made of granite, like all those in the area, by Manuel Rial, in 1993. It is called Maruxa dos portos, and represents the head of a woman on a kind of column twisted as a neck. The water covers her more or less depending on the tides, but it never reaches her head, which has a neck to spare.

A very recurring motif in marine sculptures is the mermaid. For example, on the Matadero beach in A Coruña, also known as Berbiriana, the bronze sculpture Mermaid on the Rock, by Márgara Hernández Smet, has rested since 1995. The tale says that a young girl who was drowning was brought back to life in the form of a mermaid. It could be said that it is a reminder of the dangers of the sea. The figure, with rounded and resounding shapes, is greeting the sun with one hand, as if to say “Hello, I’m coming” or “See you tomorrow”.

In San Cibrao, Cervo, in Mariña Lucense, there is another mermaid on a rock, made by Ángel Cao in 2006. She is in Penameá, on O Torno beach, looking out to sea with her tail curled up and a spindle in her hands. It is A Maruxaina who, according to legend, lived on Illa dos Farallóns spinning threads of gold and, when there was a storm, she would shout and blow her horn from the rocks on the beach. It was not clear if it alerted sailors to bad weather or caused shipwrecks with its song. It was good? Was she bad? Was she young? Was she old? Since 1985, every second Saturday in August, the legend is revived at the Festa da Maruxaina, in which the mermaid is captured in the sea and, once on land, is brought to trial to later be released and party with her.

In Cangas there is another bronze siren. She is standing on a piece of granite that represents the keel of a sunken ship, with a figurehead that looks like the mermaid herself. On both sides, two dolphins jumping. It is located in A Pedra do Sinal, on the sea, next to the Paseo Marítimo. The sculptural group, known as O Galeón de Cangas, is the work of Manuel Coia, from 2001.

Another mythological figure seems to be about to plunge into the waters of Silgar, in Sanxenxo. It is A Madama de Silgar, a bronze sculpture by Alfonso Vilar, placed on the rock of O Corbeiro in 1995. The name of madama refers to those women of legend, such as the encantos or the mouras, related to the moon, the night and water. She is half bent over, looking out to sea with a conch shell in her hands. In the hair blowing in the wind a vee forms, the author’s signature.

And we end with a literary figure. As is known, Jules Verne spoke of the Ría de Vigo in 20,000 Leagues of Underwater Voyage, recounting the adventures of Captain Nemo in the Nautilus. Well, in Cesantes, between the beach and the Illa de San Simón, a tribute was paid to him. The set represents the captain, in bronze, on top of a base of granite blocks over three meters above the rocks. Lower down, two bronze divers collect pieces of Rande’s treasure for the Nautilus. These are only fully visible when the water level rises, at times of spring tides or supermoons. The work was designed by Ramón Lastra and sculpted by Sergio Portela in 2004.

Starting from the beginning, Doña Emilia was born in A Coruña, in 1851. There she lived in Calle Tabernas number 11, next to the Jardin de San Carlos, overlooking the sea. Today the building is, since 1978, its House-Museum and the headquarters of the Royal Galician Academy. His love for reading began here, in his father’s large library, as well as his literary career, since at the age of nine he wrote the first verses and at the age of fifteen his first story. Later on, this house would also be a place for cultural and literary meetings, and festivals and tributes, such as the one given to Unamuno in 1903.

Much of his work is set in A Coruña, literarily Marineda. This transcript appears for the first time in his novel La Tribuna, considered the first social novel of the female factory proletariat, from 1881, which reflects the social injustice in the Tobacco Factory. Just as Marineda corresponds to Coruña, the streets that appear with invented names in many stories correspond to real streets of the city.

Being the only daughter of a very wealthy family, she was the heir to many possessions in Galicia ahead: in many municipalities in the province of A Coruña, in Viveiro, in Lugo, and in the province of Pontevedra (Sanxenxo, O Grove, Poio ).

Winters were spent in Madrid until he was twelve, due to his father’s political activity. The summers of childhood and youth were spent in the Torre de Miraflores, in Sanxenxo, or in the Pazo de Meirás, in Sada. The literary Sanxenxo became Portodor: “the most picturesque region that can be dreamed of”.

The pazo de Meirás, built in the 19th century on the ruins of another building, in the romantic style, has two towers. The best known, the main tower, which was called Tower of the Chimera, had its library. In fact, his most autobiographical novel is The Chimera, and it is set there. It was in that pazo where she celebrated her wedding with José Quiroga Pérez de Deza, in 1868.

That her husband was from O Carballiño, determined for Doña Emilia her attachment to the area, since the Quirogas, a noble family, had a house in the Plaza Mayor and several possessions in O Carballiño, in O Irixo, in Banga and in Cimadevilla. They spent long periods in the Casona de Catasós, in Lalín, in the inspiring fragas of Los pazos de Ulloa. They also used to go to the Banga pazo for the grape harvest. By the way, another of his novels, El cisne de Vilamorta, is set in O Carballiño and the Pazo de Banga.

After the wedding, they lived in Santiago for a season and, when the father was elected deputy by the courts, they went to Madrid, where Doña Emilia already immersed herself fully in the literary world. When his father became disenchanted with politics, they left Madrid and took the opportunity to travel throughout Europe.

The Castle of Santa Cruz, in Oleiros, A Coruña, was also a summer resort. After the separation of the writer, it would be the residence of the former, while she lived between Meirás and Madrid, mainly. 

The province of Pontevedra, “the Country of the Rías”, also welcomed the writer. In addition to the Miraflores of childhood, one of the recurring destinations in his maturity was the Mondariz Spa. With the initial motive of curing a liver disease, it became her summer residence between 1887 and 1920. According to her, “Mondariz cures the ravages of thought and the evils of civilization.” In addition to the cream of the crop from Galicia and Portugal, the spa was a hotbed of intellectuals and freethinkers, and of love affairs, of course. He also dropped by the A Toxa Spa, where he even founded the hospital for the poor.

We can say that Emilia Pardo Bazán, this universal Galician, traveler, writer, gourmet and two hundred etceteras, was noted wherever she passed. If we do a count of the statues dedicated to his figure in Galicia, we see them scattered throughout many places where he was. The same thing that she brought those places to her work. He died in Madrid on May 12, 1921.

One of the most famous is the Nativity Scene of Begonte (December 5 – January 29), in the heart of Terra Chá. It is declared of Galician tourist interest. It was founded in 1972 by José Domínguez Guizán and José Rodríguez Varela. It is full of figures, many electronically animated, that represent from the most traditional biblical scene to the most popular chairega. Since its origin it has grown so much that the adjacent room is dedicated to the Nativity Scene Museum, with the animated figures and sets that are being renewed every year. In Begonte, the nativity scene is the undisputed protagonist of Christmas, and serves as an excuse to organize the festivities that, of course, begin with the Proclamation of the Nativity Scene. This year, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary, the traveling exhibition «50 years of the Begonte Nativity Scene» is being held.

Another nativity scene with the title of Galician tourist interest is the Artisan nativity scene in movement of Valga (December 5 – January 9). It has more than three thousand pieces. In addition to the biblical episodes, it represents scenes from the Valga area (pilgrimages, processions…), characters from the municipality and Galicia (La Bella Otero, Ferro Couselo, Rosalía, Castelao…) and current social issues, politics, etc. This means that every year there is a major renovation of figures and decorations.

Around this time, the old town of Viveiro is invaded by the giant Nativity Scene of Viveiro, also known as «Viveiro ante o Berce» (Viveiro in front of the cradle), or «Giant Nativity Scene of Santa María» (December 5 – January 13). Its main characteristic is the large scale, with a hundred life-size figures, with «cagón» and all, and that in the middle there are chickens, of flesh and blood, that animate the party. It is organized by the Association of Friends of the Old Town, in the old town, of course. And there is always news: this year a lighthouse almost eight meters high was incorporated, with the function of protecting the atrium transept. In the province of Lugo, the nativity scene tradition is also shown every year in the Lugo Nativity Scene Contest, in the Afundación building in the Plaza de Santa María de Lugo (December 17 – January 7).

In Santiago, we can visit the Nativity Scene of San Fiz de Solovio, in the church that gives it its name, (December 3 – January 5). Precisely, the Romanesque doorway of the church has a tympanum with the relief of the Adoration of the Magi, from 1316. The nativity scene has around five hundred pieces made by hand, made of clay and painted canvas. It is transferred and mounted year after year by José Uzal. It also includes lighting, sound and special effects (fog, thunder …).

A very peculiar nativity scene is the Nativity Scene of Baltar, in Ourense. It is made up of more than one hundred fired clay figures. Its main characteristic, in addition to the stamp of the sculptor, is that it has a deeply Ourensan air, with scenes in the square, in the tavern, with the old photographer… Arturo Baltar started it in 1967 at the request of the Association of nativity scenes. After a few years installed in the chapel of San Cosme and San Damián, in 2010, it moved to the annex building, to the so-called «Arturo Baltar exhibition space» and, since then, we don’t even have to wait for Christmas, because the nativity scene can be visited all year round, but between December 17 and January 6, with extended hours. By the way, ten minutes from here, at the bishopric headquarters, we can also go to the World Nativity Scene Exhibition, with more than one hundred and fifty nativity scenes from the places where the missions are present (December 10 – January 7).

Other nativity scenes in the province of Ourense are the Nativity Scene of A Viruca (December 8 – January 6), in Verín, which reflects typical areas of Verín and traditional work in the Monterrei area; and the Nativity Scene of Parada de Sil (November 20-January 30), made by José María Campo Herrero, with a scale reproduction of the Santa Cristina monastery and everything.

Another curious nativity scene is the Family nativity scene of Conxo (December 3 – January 9). The Otero family has been receiving visitors to appreciate their nativity scene for more than 75 years. Each edition is dedicated to a character, generally from the area. This year, it goes for the victims of the pandemic.

The Nativity Scene of the Third Order of Ferrol is also over seventy years old. It has a beautiful oriental-style nativity. It was started by Alfredo Martín, now deceased, and his family and other collaborators continue the work. In addition to all the scenography of the nativity scene, two page-boys narrate the scenes while the figures move. It can be visited from November 26.

There are nativity scenes that open later, such as the Nativity Scene of the Great Work of Atocha, in A Coruña (December 25 – January 6). It has the curiosity of being made to the scale of the map of Jerusalem. The backgrounds were painted by Camilo Díaz Baliño in 1923. In A Coruña it can also be seen the Municipal Nativity Scene since December 10, full of characters from the city.

In Vigo, although it seems that there are only lights, nativity scenes with a lot of tradition are also mounted. In the Casa das Artes the Monumental Nativity Scene of Vigo is exhibited (November 27 – January) and, on the other hand, the 56 Afundación Nativity Scene Contest (December 1 – January 8) is held, which are shown in the Exhibition Hall of the Afundación theater.

In the House of Culture of Gondomar, Fernando Fernández Penedo has been setting up the artisan Nativity Scene in motion (December 4 – January 9) for twenty years. It has more than six hundred pieces, one hundred and fifty in motion.

There is also a tradition in Mos, where the neighborhood group «Armouse o belén» makes the Nativity scene at the Pazo de Mos (December 1 – January 7). It is a solidarity exhibition because, to enter, you have to make a donation to the food bank. And nearby is the Herville Nativity Scene (December 5 – January 19), at the Herville Cultural and Social Association, with plenty of historical details.

If we go south and get to Tui, we must see the Nativity Scene of the Tui Cathedral (December 20 – January 10). In the retable of Expectation the nativity scene and, by all the naves, the Nativity scenes of the world are exposed.

In Galicia, in addition to being where they are most abundant, it is the place where there are more variations in terms of the name: more than thirty different names depending on the forms, materials or areas. To begin with, in terms of shape, they can be: round, or cabaceiro; rectangular, or cabazo; and square, or Asturian. Regarding the materials, we differentiate: interlaced rods; of wood; of stone; mixed and masonry.

As for the area, the variety of hórreos is determined more than anything by the climate. Most of them are in the provinces of A Coruña and Pontevedra. In the more mountainous areas of the interior there are none, because they are unnecessary. The greatest varieties of names occur on the coast. The most common are: cabozo in the Cantabrian Sea; hórreo in the Ártabro Arch; cabazo in Fisterra; cabaceira in the area from Carnota to Muros; piorno, palleira, canastro, caustra, canizo, on the coast of Pontevedra up to the Miño; paneira in O Morrazo.

And, just like there are many names, there are many styles. These do not correspond to a strict geographical limitation. Following the classification made by Ignacio Martínez Rodríguez, we can group several styles with similar characteristics:

Primitive or corres types. They are made of interlaced rods, like a truncated-conical basket with a thatched roof. It is generally used as an auxiliary granary. We find it especially on the slopes of the Faro and Farelo mountains, between the Ulla and the Miño.

Types of wood. With rectangular wooden chamber.

• mariñán (in the Bercés, Mero, Mandeo and Mendo basins). Small, with a narrow and high chamber and cepas (supports the width of the hórreo) of masonry. Gabled tile roof.
• type palleira or piorno (in the area of Ulla, Limia, province of Pontevedra and part of Ourense and Lugo). Small, wider and lower chamber. It has esteos (columns) of stone and a gabled tile roof with a long eaves.
• O Salnés type (between Umia and Lérez, from Caldas de Reis to Meaño). Lower chamber, wide and long, on masonry stumps. Gabled tile roof.
• bergantiñán (Bergantiños region). Wide, short and tall chamber. Masonry cepas and gabled tile roof. Types of stone. With stone chamber.

Types of stone. With stone chamber.

• Ribadeo type (on the coast between Viveiro, encompassing Lourenzá, and Vegadeo). Wide and very tall. With two or three floors depending on the function. It rests on a celeiro (support of the hórreo with walls) equal to or greater than the chamber. Shale masonry walls. Slate hipper roof. Factory ladder.
• San Pedro de Visma type (A Coruña, Arteixo, Laracha). Wide, low, big. Gabled tile roof.
• Coristanco type (Ponteceso and Carballo area, on the banks of the Anllóns river). On celeiro of masonry. Gable curved tile roof.
• Fisterra type (area that connects Ponteceso with Santa Comba and Carnota). Narrow and tall. Esteos very high on masonry plinth. Gable curved tile roof.
• Noia type (Xallas and Ulla area). Narrow and long, on low stone esteos. Curved gable tile roof.
• O Morrazo type (coastal area between the Miño and O Salnés). Narrow and long. Variable width. Low suspension. Gable curved tile roof

Mixed types

• Carral type (between Carral and Sigüeiro). Wide chamber, on thick and tall cepas of masonry. Gabled tile roof.
• Carballo type (coincides with the area of ​​the brig). Very high and wide chamber, on pieces of stone plastered and whitened.
• Mondoñedo type (Cantabrian area from Ortigueira to Asturias, and inland to Mondoñedo). Similar to that of Carral, but with a hipped roof and two plastered and whitewashed masonry cepas.
• Mahía type (Santa Comba, Ordes, Palas de Reis area, Ulla river, Deza, Silleda, Caldas de Reis, Catoira, Rianxo, Negreira). Narrow and long, with low suspension, on cepas. Gabled tile roof.
• Pontevedra type (Catoira, A Estrada, Os Peares, Baños de Molgas, Limia hasta or Lindoso Portuguese). Narrow and long. Low suspension on thick square esteos. Gabled tile roof.
• O Pino type (between Tambre and Ulla) Very wide and short. High suspension. Two or three sided tile roof.

Special types

• Cabanas type (Ortigueira area, As Pontes de García Rodríguez and Eume valley up to Pontedeume). Lower and wider chamber than the mariñán. Low suspension. Slate roof with four waters.
• Vilalba type (Serra da Cova da Serpe, Serra da Loba, Eume river, Miño river). Very narrow and high small chamber, on two cepas or solid cepa. Two-sided slate roof.
• Tui type (area from the right bank of the Miño to Tui) Wide chamber. Low suspension on thick square esteos. Walls of horizontal voussoirs. Curved gable tile roof.

In Galicia we had a splendid organistic past, of which we only conserve about a hundred organs, and most of them are silent. Since they began to be cataloged and revalued as an important part of our musical historical heritage, we know more about them and, luckily, some are recovering their voice.

Although there were already organs in the Middle Ages, the oldest that are preserved are from the 18th century. Until the middle of the 19th century, organs were built in cathedrals, collegiate churches, large rural monasteries, those in cities, in some parishes of cities of some importance, mainly on the coast, and in some renowned sanctuaries. At the end of the 19th and 20th centuries, they were also made for the parish churches of the most prosperous cities (A Coruña, Vigo Ourense …). Outside the religious sphere, A Coruña has the only organ in Galicia in an auditorium, at the Barrié de la Maza Foundation; Vigo has the only cinema organ, at the old Fraga cinema and, Ourense has the only study pipe organ, at the conservatory.

The Cathedral of Santiago was a great center for organ builders and organists from the northwest of the peninsula (they also worked for Portugal, Asturias and part of Castilla y León). Almost all organists in Galicia were trained for a season in the cathedral. In it, only the boxes of two facing twin organs are preserved (the first of this type known), from the early 18th century, built by the organ builder Manuel de la Viña and remade in 1977.

Compostela is the city in Galicia with the highest concentration of organs (in the convent of San Francisco, in the monastery of San Martiño Pinario, in the convent of Santa Clara, in the convent of Belvís, or in the church of Las Animas, for example). One of the most important that is preserved in its original state is that of the church of San Paio de Antealtares, built by the compostelan organ builder Alberto de la Peña in 1782 and played daily.

In the cities near Santiago there were also organs in the collegiate churches. The baroque organ of the former collegiate church of Iria-Flavia, today the church of Santa María la Mayor, made in 1780, is one of the most unique in Galicia, and was recently restored.

Two organs with different boxes are preserved in Lugo Cathedral. The oldest is from the 18th century. International organ festivals are held there every year.

Mondoñedo Cathedral has two magnificent organs from the early 18th century. In its area of  influence we find two of the best historical organs in Galicia: those of the church of San Salvador de Vilanova de Lourenzá, built between 1762 and 1765. They are the work of the compostelan organ builder Alberto de la Peña (that of San Paio de Antealtares) . They are twins, although one has fewer records than the other. Despite being very deteriorated by the passage of time, they retain much of their original material, which makes them have a unique value.

The Cathedral of Tui also has two organs in twin boxes, although only one is operational. The boxes are from the early 18th century and one of them was recently rebuilt. The cathedral offers a varied musical program throughout the year.

The province of Ourense is the one that preserves the most organs in all of Galicia (22). The cathedral houses an organ from the 18th century by the famous organ builder by Xeve Frei Simón Fontanes, but the one that is preserved is from the 20th century. It has another baroque, smaller, and renovated.

Another important organ in Ourense is that of the San Salvador de Celanova monastery, built by the organ builder Frei Felipe de la Peña in the 18th century which, after several unsuccessful interventions, was rebuilt in the 21st century.

The collegiate church of Santa María a Real, in Xunqueira de Ambía, boasts the only Iberian organ in Spain preserved with all its original pieces. It was built by Manuel González Maldonado in 1763 and restored in the 20th century. The Organ and Ancient Music Cycles have been held during the summer since 1989.

Knowing our organ heritage makes us appreciate it. And not only the objects themselves, as relics, because it must be remembered that, above all, organs are instruments, and the best way to preserve an instrument is to play it.

In this sense, the creation of the organ teaching position at the Professional Conservatory of Music of Ourense (the only one in all of Galicia) was fundamental. Since 2004, our quarry of organists has been formed there. And, just as in the past the organs demanded professionals to play them, now they are the ones who demand organs and adequate spaces to play.

This also creates a growing audience. There are more and more organ music festivals, cycles, concerts, international meetings… There are also educational and musical routes visiting the organs of the monasteries, a way to boost sustainable tourism in small villages that had a memorable musical past.

Interpretation Centre

An original building with an elongated shape and covered with stone slabs welcomes all those who come to the Rock Art Archaeological Park. Inside it houses a large exhibition area divided into nine sectors so that visitors can learn about the world of petroglyphs from different perspectives, including the process of research and enhancement of the Campo Lameiro site itself.

Traces of the past, Enigmas in the stones, Search and study, Uncovering the archives of the earth, 4,000 years ago, Stone against stone, Another view, New enigmas and The conservation of memory are the sections of this route that includes reproductions, explanatory panels, audiovisual content and even a section that recreates how the petroglyphs were created.

The interpretation centre also has a café-restaurant with a large terrace with beautiful views of the Campo Lameiro valley and a shop where you can buy souvenirs of the park, publications about the petroglyphs and local craft products.

Visitable area

If the interpretation centre is the gateway to the world of the petroglyphs, the visitable area is the jewel in the crown and the element that gives meaning to the whole park. A route of more than 4 kilometres in length, duly signposted and equipped with rest areas, invites the visitor to enter an authentic open-air museum that will allow him to contemplate some of the most outstanding examples of the rock art of Campo Lameiro.

The Laxes da Forneiriña, dos Cabalos and dos Carballos, the outeiros dos Cogoludos (I and II), das Ventaniñas and da Pena Furada, and the Fonte da Pena Furada are the eight stops on this itinerary designed to show the main motifs and scenes of the petroglyphs in the very environment in which they were devised and created around 4,000 years ago. Engraved in stone are figures such as deer, horsemen on horseback, labyrinthine structures and concentric circles.

Bronze Age settlement

A tour of the park also includes the chance to get a glimpse of what life was like for the people who shaped the rock art. This is possible through the life-size recreation of a small Bronze Age village made up of several huts, some structures for storing food, and enclosures for livestock, all built with the same materials used by the ancient inhabitants of the site. 

Activities

To appreciate all it has to offer, the park has an extensive programme of activities designed for schoolchildren, groups of various sizes and families. The accompaniment of an expert guide allows you to discover all the secrets of the rock art, and taking part in the tours at dusk and even in the early hours of the night is a unique opportunity to contemplate the petroglyphs from a very different point of view.

More information at https://www.paar.es

And furthermore

But Campo Lameiro boasts of being the capital of rock art not only because of its archaeological park, but also because of the extensive heritage that extends beyond the limits of the site that was opened 10 years ago. The Pedra da Serpe, located in the Castro de Penalba, and the petroglyphs of Rotea de Mendo, Chan da Lagoa and Outeiro de Chan da Lagoa are other valuable and surprising sites that are well worth a visit. The council of Campo Lameiro has designed a route that starts from the municipal capital to discover them.

More information at https://campolameiro.org/