Top Historic Sights in Vigo, Spain
Explore the historic highlights of Vigo
Co-Cathedral of Santa María
Co-Cathedral of Santa María, popularly known as La Colegiata, is one of the best examples of religious architecture in Vigo, an exponent of neoclassical art in Galicia and the city’s most important temple. It is the co-cathedral with Tui Cathedral. Located in Vigo’s Old Town, it was built in 1811 over the remains of a previous church and commissioned from Melchor de Prado y Mariño. This basilica with three naves ha ...
Founded: 1811 |
Location:
Vigo, Spain
Castro Fortress
The Fortaleza del Castro is a hilltop fortress in Vigo built in 1665 during the Portuguese Restoration War in order to protect the city from the continuous raids by the British Royal Navy, allies of Portugal. Built on the hill of the same name, the defensive system of the city consisted of the fortresses of Castro and San Sebastián and the now disappeared city wall. The city wall had an irregular shape due to the orogra ...
Founded: 1665 |
Location:
Vigo, Spain
Castro de Vigo
The O Castro site is Vigo’s archaeological site par excellence: this was the origin of what is now the largest city in Galicia, between the second century BC and the third century AD. When you step on the stones of this museum site, the O Castro de Vigo. A Orixe da cidade, you’ll discover where the first inhabitants of Vigo lived. The Castro is a 1 mile² archaeological site that includes the reconstruction ...
Founded: 2nd century BCE |
Location:
Vigo, Spain
Salinae
Salinae is an important archaeological site in Vigo: an interesting tour of the only preserved solar evaporation marine saltworks from the Roman Empire. A suggestive staged space explains the creation and development of the Roman salt industry in Vigo and the utilisation of fishing resources. It is the recovery and museological presentation of a Roman site, an evaporation salt lake, in operation during 1st-3rd centuries ...
Founded: 0-300 AD |
Location:
Vigo, Spain
San Miguel de Bouzas Church
The church of San Miguel de Bouzas is one of the examples of Vigo’s religious architecture with the most history: in 1542, the neighbours of Bouzas told the prelate Don Diego Muñoz that they were so many they needed their own church, so as to avoid having to travel to the neighbouring Coia parish. This was the origin of the current Church of San Miguel, which was first a small chapel, was expanded years later, and was ...
Founded: 1697 |
Location:
Vigo, Spain
San Salvador de Coruxo Church
The Coruxo Church is an impeccable example of religious architecture in Vigo with beautiful skylights. Alongside the churches in Bembrive and Castrelos, the Romanesque temple in Coruxo is one of the best preserved in Vigo. The church of San Salvador was built in the 12th century; it belonged to the Benedictines until the 14th century and later became the parish church. Many of its Romanesque art ornaments have b ...
Founded: 12th century |
Location:
Vigo, Spain
Bembrive Church
The small and beautiful Romanesque church in Bembrive presides this parish of Vigo since the 12th century and is one of the most significant examples of religious architecture in Vigo. This Romanesque church in Vigo was probably constructed over an ancient monastic temple, since the name of the church’s neighbourhood is Mosteiro (Monastery). The single nave church"s tympanum holds a beautiful Celtic cross. ...
Founded: 12th century |
Location:
Vigo, Spain
Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings
Photo from Flickr, copyright Riccardo Ravelli
Historic Site of the week
Redipuglia World War I Memorial
Redipuglia is the largest Italian Military Sacrarium. It rises up on the western front of the Monte Sei Busi, which, in the First World War was bitterly fought after because, although it was not very high, from its summit it allowed an ample range of access from the West to the first steps of the Karstic table area.
The monumental staircase on which the remains of one hundred thousand fallen soldiers are lined up and which has at its base the monolith of the Duke of Aosta, who was the commanding officer of the third Brigade, and gives an image of a military grouping in the field of a Great Unity with its Commanding Officer at the front. The mortal remains of 100,187 fallen soldiers lie here, 39,857 of them identified and 60,330 unknown.