Monastery of Santa María de Villanueva de Oscos

In 1162, its dependence on San Salvador de Carracedo (León) is recorded; together with that house and in accordance with a bull from Pope Innocent III, Santa María de Villanueva de Oscos became part of the Cistercian order, a process that was formalized in 1203, although the connection with the Cistercians began earlier. In that year, the monk Gonzalo arrived from Carracedo as abbot to ease the transition to Cistercian customs. Between the 12th century and the early 13th century, and thanks mainly to the many donations received from the Crown and other prominent figures, the Romanesque monastery was likely built, though today only a few remains survive. It is documented that the knight Raimundo Díaz, who participated in the construction of the cloister, was buried there in the early 13th century.

The end of the monastery came with the social upheavals of the 19th century. First, during the Peninsular War, the monastery was occupied and transformed into a hospital. Later, during the Liberal Triennium (1820–1823) and the disentailment of 1835, the monastery was definitively closed. The property was put up for sale, and only the church maintained its parish function, which it had served for much longer. This is the best-preserved part of the complex and still retains its medieval structure, while the rest of the monastic buildings, dating from later periods, are in a state of abandonment.