900 years of memory in stone

In 1126, Countess Guntroda Rodríguez, one of the most influential figures in Galicia at the time and wife of Pedro Froilaz de Traba, arrived with her entourage to the Mariñas lands to formalise a historic act: the donation of the church of San Vicente de Moruxo to the Monastery of Bergondo. Also present were key figures such as Archbishop Diego Gelmírez, in a context of great political and religious significance, with the recent proclamation of Alfonso VII of León, the countess's former ward, as King of León.

The document, written in Latin and preserved to this day, is the earliest known reference to the monastery and marks the beginning of a nine-century history. Over this time, San Salvador de Bergondo became far more than a religious space: it became a centre of power, culture and monastic life that left a deep mark on the identity of the Mariñas.

The monastery's history is marked by periods of splendour as well as hardship. Fires and destruction in the 14th century, reforms driven by the Catholic Monarchs in the 15th century, the French invasion in the 19th century and the disentailment by Juan Álvarez Mendizábal brought moments of decline and structural change. Nevertheless, the complex survived, adapting to the times and reaching our day as a heritage site of great historical, artistic and cultural value.

Today, visitors to the Monastery of Bergondo can journey through nearly nine hundred years of living Galician history, contemplating its architecture, its restored church and the partial recovery of the convent, which hosts parish, cultural and social activities, keeping alive the memory of one of the most significant monastic enclosures in the Mariñas.