Monastery of San Paio de Antealtares
San Pedro / San Payo / San Pelayo / Ante Altares / Antealtaris
(Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña)
The Benedictine monastery of San Paio de Antealtares originated from the religious devotion that developed in this location starting in the year 814, following the discovery of the tomb of the Apostle Saint James. At that time, or shortly after Alfonso II built the first church over the saint's tomb around 820, a monastic space was established where a community, under the direction of Abbot Ildefredo, oversaw the worship.
Due to its location, this monastery, closely linked to the church that would later become a cathedral, was known as Antealtares and placed under the patronage of Saint Peter. In the year 997, the city and its churches were destroyed by a raid led by Almanzor, prompting Bishop Pedro de Mezonzo to initiate their reconstruction. In this context, a new community of clerics was introduced to the church, gradually gaining prominence at the expense of the Antealtares community. In 1075, Bishop Diego Peláez began constructing a new, larger church to accommodate the significant influx of pilgrims, which led to the demolition of the Antealtares monastery.
In light of this new situation, the well-known Concord of Antealtares was signed in 1077, in which the abbot and the bishop established the terms of use for the new spaces being constructed. The document records that, at that time, the Antealtares community was already following the Rule of Saint Benedict. In 1095, Pope Urban II authorized the transfer of the episcopal see from Iria to Santiago, definitively organizing the cathedral chapter, a move that diminished the Benedictine community's importance. The monastery changed its original patronage to San Paio (Saint Pelagius) at some indeterminate point in the early 12th century.
During the 13th century, the Benedictines ceded the land of their monastery to expand the cathedral and began constructing a new establishment separated from the church by what is now the Plaza de Quintana, formerly a cemetery. By the late 15th century, the monastery underwent changes due to the Observant Reform that affected the monastic world at the time. As a result, the communities of San Paio de Antealtares, in decline, and San Pedro de Fóra (another Benedictine house in the city) relocated to a third Benedictine house in Santiago: San Martiño Pinario, a process completed in 1495.
At the same time, reforms were also underway in the female Benedictine houses of Galicia, which were similarly experiencing a crisis. It was proposed to unite these communities in the former Antealtares monastery, overturning an earlier agreement to establish a college there. This effort was realized in 1499 by transferring nuns from various monasteries and reforming their practices with much stricter rules, leading to opposition from many of the religious women. The new house maintained control over the assets of about fifteen suppressed monasteries spread throughout Galicia. Furthermore, the monastery itself was rebuilt, with construction continuing until the early 18th century.
Choir
Choir
Reliquary altar
Altarpiece of the Expectation (17th century)
- BUJÁN RODRÍGUEZ, María Mercedes (2002). Abadologio femenino: monasterio de Benedictinas de San Payo de Ante-Altares. Xunta de Galicia
- COLOMBÁS, Benito G. (1980). San Pelayo de Antealtares, historia, espíritu y vida de un monasterio compostelano. Santiago: Velograf
- FERNÁNDEZ CASTIÑEIRAS, Enrique; i altres; dir. (2007). Arte Benedictino en los caminos de Santiago. Opus Monasticorum II. Xunta de Galicia
- FREIRE CAMANIEL, José (1998). El monacato gallego en la alta edad media, vol. II. La Corunya: Fund. Pedro Barrié de la Maza
- LÓPEZ FERREIRO, Antonio (1899). Historia de la Santa A. M. Iglesia de Santiago de Compostela. Santiago: Seminario Conciliar
- NODAR, Victoriano (2004). La cabecera de la Catedral de Santiago: un espacio abierto para los monjes de Antealtares. Boletim interactivo da Apha, núm. 4
- PÉREZ RODRÍGUEZ, Francisco Javier (2008). Mosteiros de Galicia na Idade Media. Ourense: Deputación Provincial de Ourense
- SÁ BRAVO, Hipólito de (1972). El monacato en Galicia. Vol. 1. La Corunya: Librigal
- VILLAMIL, Xesús (2000). San Paio de Antealtares. Xunta de Galicia
- YEPES, Antonio de (reed. 1959). Crónica General de la Orden de San Benito. Madrid: B. Autores Cristianos
The Antealtares monastery is located very close to the Cathedral of Santiago, separated from it by a square