Canonry of Santa María la Real de Sar
Santa María a Real do Sar / Collegiate church of Sar / Saris
(Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña)
The canonry of Santa María de Sar was founded by the will of Munio Alfonso, a member of the chapter of Santiago Cathedral and bishop of Mondoñedo between 1112 and 1134. In the latter year, Munio retired to Compostela and initiated the construction of the monastery. He passed away in 1136, shortly before completing the foundation, and Bishop Diego Gelmírez took charge of bringing it to fruition.
In the same year, 1136, the foundational charter was signed, and in 1137 the foundation was confirmed by Alfonso VII. Due to this origin, the relations between this community of Augustinian canons and the cathedral chapter were amicable. The church was built between 1134 and the 13th century, and both the construction and the canonry itself received support from the monarchy through donations of goods and rights (from Ferdinand II of León, Henry II of Castile, John II, among others). In the 16th century, this house entered a period of decline: it became a collegiate church and, shortly thereafter, in 1548, it was secularized.
In the following centuries, works were carried out on the ancient Romanesque structure, which had deteriorated over time. In this regard, the church still shows its leaning walls and the flying buttresses that were added to ensure its stability, compromised since the early 16th century due to the poor consistency of the ground, caused by the proximity of the Sar River and the works undertaken to replace the original roof, possibly made of wood, with the vaults that still cover it today. During the 17th and 18th centuries, references to the instability of the building were made, and works were undertaken to reinforce its stability. In 1851, it became a parish church, a function it still fulfills.
The church is medieval, with a basilica floor plan, no transept, three naves, and three apses. Only the gallery of the cloister next to the church is preserved, thanks to its arches being walled up to help stabilize the structure. The rest of the cloister was demolished in the mid-18th century to build the prioral house. During the 20th century, several restoration campaigns were carried out to address the stability issues.
Tomb of Gómez González do Canabal
Cloister
Cloister
Cloister
Cloister
Cloister
Cloister
Cloister
Priory house
- FERNÁNDEZ RUBIO, Sandra (2015). Colegiata de Santa María la Real de Sar. Desde la visión de sus problemas estructurales. Universidade da Coruña
- FREIRE CAMANIEL, José (1998). El monacato gallego en la alta edad media, vol. II. La Corunya: Fund. Pedro Barrié de la Maza
- PÉREZ GONZÁLEZ, José María; dir. (2013). Enciclopedia del románico en Galicia. A Coruña. Aguilar de Campoo: Fundación Santa María la Real
- 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
- SINGUL, Francisco (2000). Santa María la Real de Sar. Xunta de Galicia
The Canonical Church of Santa María de Sar is located south of the historic center of Santiago, near the railway station