Monastery of San Martiño Pinario

After Santiago was devastated by Al-Mansur’s raid in 997, a new monastery was built outside the city walls, on the site it still occupies today, to the north of the cathedral. Around 1077, the house adopted the Rule of St. Benedict, and in 1112 the new church, which had been under construction since 1050, was consecrated. In 1115, Bishop Gelmírez granted it a privilege confirming its possessions, which included several modest monasteries, and added new ones. San Martiño Pinario maintained its activities relatively independent of the episcopal seat and the pilgrim traffic, which shielded it from the pressures that affected the Antealtares monastery.

In addition, San Martiño Pinario incorporated many other monasteries into its patrimony, including San Salvador de Cins, San Martiño de Ozón, San Martiño de Xubia, Santa María de Mezonzo, San Xulián de Moraime, San Pedro de Soandres, San Salvador de Bergondo and Santa María de Cambre, among others. This new situation ushered in a period of prosperity, with a very large community that enabled the complete reconstruction of the monastery (16th-18th centuries), resulting in the grand complex that still stands today. The monastery remained active until 1835, after which its facilities were repurposed for various uses.

The Archbishop of Santiago, Juan de Sanclemente, decided to replace the medieval stone choir of Santiago Cathedral with a new one. In 1599, a contract was signed with Juan Dávila and Gregorio Español for its construction, which would extend into the first decade of the 17th century. This singular work remained in its original location until 1940, when it was decided to move it to San Martiño Pinario, an operation that caused its partial deterioration due to changes in its structure and dimensions as well as conservation issues.