San Juan de Poio Monastery, Poio, Spain

Mercedarian monastery of San Juan de Poio was built in the 17th century and reflects the taste for combining Classicist and Baroque styles. The first document of the monastery on the site is however much older, dating from 942 AD.

Inside, there is a splendid retable from the 18th century, in Churrigueresque style, and the tomb of St. Trahamunda is in the left-hand aisle (much venerated in the district). The procession cloister (16th century) is also noteworthy, with a Baroque fountain and an original stairway. Also worth mentioning are the library, the museum of mosaics, the Escola de Canteiros or the centre for the Summer University courses. The monastery is currently devoted to tourist accommodation, governed by the nuns.

References:

Galicia Tourism

User Reviews

Carlos Sermeño (10 months ago)
Beautiful monastery!

Bieito Seara (2 years ago)
Uh

David Vertongen (3 years ago)
Very quite peaceful place

Luis Felipe Guzmán (4 years ago)
beautiful church, although it's hidden

Maria De Las Mercedes De La Pela (5 years ago)
En primer lugar está en ella Nuestra Señora de la Merced, mi santo. Luego me trae recuerdos de cuando era joven e iba muchos sábados a oír cantar a los Mercedarios, me encantaba oírlos, heran más de veinte y ahora creo que ocho y además muy mayores. La juventud no está por la carrera monástica, no hay vocaciones, es una pena, pero... bueno no me extiendo más. Ahora voy una vez al año el día de mi santo

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Ninara

Historic Site of the week

The Church of the Holy Cross

The church of the former Franciscan monastery was built probably between 1515 and 1520. It is located in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Old Rauma. The church stands by the small stream of Raumanjoki (Rauma river).

The exact age of the Church of the Holy Cross is unknown, but it was built to serve as the monastery church of the Rauma Franciscan Friary. The monastery had been established in the early 15th century and a wooden church was built on this location around the year 1420.

The Church of the Holy Cross served the monastery until 1538, when it was abandoned for a hundred years as the Franciscan friary was disbanded in the Swedish Reformation. The church was re-established as a Lutheran church in 1640, when the nearby Church of the Holy Trinity was destroyed by fire.

The choir of the two-aisle grey granite church features medieval murals and frescoes. The white steeple of the church was built in 1816 and has served as a landmark for seafarers.

San Juan de Poio Monastery

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historic Site of the week

The Church of the Holy Cross