Carboeiro Monastery, Silleda, Spain

The Monastery of San Lorenzo de Carboeiro is one of the most outstanding architectural works of the late Romanesque, the transition to the Gothic, in Galicia.

Its gestation was founded in the year 939 AD. When the construction was completed, the priest Felix was chosen as the first abbot of the community.

Its moments of greatest splendor were between 11th and 13th centuries. Abbot Fernando, from 1162 to 1192, expanded the church. At this stage the monastery belonged to the 'Cluny' order, and for a long period has a rich estate.

During the 15th century lawsuits, neglect and mismanagement, lead to the community’s ruin, and in 1500 by order of Ferdinand and Isabella, it is relegated to the status of priory, a farm for San Martiño Pinario in Santiago, prolonging its decline, including a prison built for monks in 1794 and until 1836, coinciding with tits confiscation by Mendizabal, and its total abandonment.

The church and some other buildings are still in good condition, after the works of restoration and recovery made during the second half of the twentieth century.

References:

Silleda Tourism

User Reviews

Charo Rey (2 years ago)
Interesting and nice walk around it.

Maria Blanco (3 years ago)
Fillo of caracter

Orestes Carracedo (3 years ago)
Beautiful building surrounded by nature. Truly a nice place to explore una a calm sunny day. Stay for the sunset and make sure you bring a nice camera with you.

Alejandro García Permuy (4 years ago)
AMAZING EXPERIENCE. VISIT THE CRIPT

Andrea Urbán (4 years ago)
So this is the place where you pay 1.5 euros entry fee and you just wander around. First we looked around in the monastery, which is a wonderful building. You can climb up to the towers and down to the crypt. Really nice. Then you walk down to the bridge, which is again a tranquil place, fantastic structure. And it is not finished yet! Take the botanical walk, halfway through you will find a small house with a path leading down to the river bank.... take bathing suit! The water is fresh but clean, sunbathing there and listening to the water flowing. Such a magical and quiet place! Absolute worth to visit!

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The Palazzo Colonna is a palatial block of buildings built in part over ruins of an old Roman Serapeum, and has belonged to the prestigious Colonna family for over twenty generations.

The first part of the palace dates from the 13th century, and tradition holds that the building hosted Dante in his visit to Rome. The first documentary mention notes that the property hosted Cardinal Giovanni and Giacomo Colonna in the 13th century. It was also home to Cardinal Oddone Colonna before he ascended to the papacy as Martin V (1417–1431).

With his passing, the palace was sacked during feuds, and the main property passed into the hands of the Della Rovere family. It returned to the Colonna family when Marcantonio I Colonna married Lucrezia Gara Franciotti Della Rovere, the niece of pope Julius II. The Colonna"s alliance to the Habsburg power, likely protected the palace from looting during the Sack of Rome (1527).

Starting with Filippo Colonna (1578–1639) many changes have refurbished and create a unitary complex around a central garden. Architects including Girolamo Rainaldi and Paolo Marucelli labored on specific projects. Only in the 17th and 18th centuries were the main facades completed. Much of this design was completed by Antonio del Grande (including the grand gallery), and Girolamo Fontana (decoration of gallery). In the 18th century, the long low facade designed by Nicola Michetti with later additions by Paolo Posi with taller corner blocks (facing Piazza Apostoli) was constructed recalls earlier structures resembling a fortification.

The main gallery (completed 1703) and the masterful Colonna art collection was acquired after 1650 by both the cardinal Girolamo I Colonna and his nephew the Connestabile Lorenzo Onofrio Colonna and includes works by Lorenzo Monaco, Domenico Ghirlandaio, Palma the Elder, Salviati, Bronzino, Tintoretto, Pietro da Cortona, Annibale Carracci (painting of The Beaneater), Guercino, Francesco Albani, Muziano and Guido Reni. Ceiling frescoes by Filippo Gherardi, Giovanni Coli, Sebastiano Ricci, and Giuseppe Bartolomeo Chiari celebrate the role of Marcantonio II Colonna in the battle of Lepanto (1571). The gallery is open to the public on Saturday mornings.

The older wing of the complex known as the Princess Isabelle"s apartments, but once housing Martin V"s library and palace, contains frescoes by Pinturicchio, Antonio Tempesta, Crescenzio Onofri, Giacinto Gimignani, and Carlo Cesi. It contains a collection of landscapes and genre scenes by painters like Gaspard Dughet, Caspar Van Wittel (Vanvitelli), and Jan Brueghel the Elder.

Along with the possessions of the Doria-Pamphilij and Pallavacini-Rospigliosi families, this is one of the largest private art collections in Rome.

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