The Monastery of San Miguel de Eiré is an ancient foundation that already existed in the 10th century, although it was probably only a church at that time. It was a female establishment which, in the year 1108, was headed by Abbess Aldonza, who took part in a donation in favor of the monastery of San Salvador de Ferreira. It was endowed by Alfonso VII in 1129, when he granted it a charter of immunity.
By the late 14th century, the monastery was administered by laypeople, which led to its decline, as they appropriated its assets instead of protecting them as would be desired. This situation caused numerous complaints and lawsuits over many years. The monastery was suppressed in 1499 as a result of the Observant reform, and its assets were annexed to the monastery of San Paio de Antealtares, a decision confirmed by Pope Julius II in 1504. At that time, the last abbess, Inés Fernández, was confined -apparently by force- to San Paio, but she managed to escape and report the events.
The abbess negotiated with the dean of Santiago, Diego de Muros, who defended her, allowing her to retain her abbatial dignity for life in exchange for transferring the abbey's assets to the Hospital Real de Santiago, an institution also led by Diego de Muros. Upon her death in 1508, the assets of San Miguel were initially incorporated into the monastery of Santo Estevo de Ribas de Sil. However, after a lengthy legal dispute, they were definitively allocated to the Hospital Real de Santiago in 1519.
Currently, only the church of the monastery remains, dating back to the Romanesque period. It is a small building with a single nave and apse. There are also remnants of an earlier structure, but no monastic dependencies have survived.
Photo by José Antonio Gil Martínez, on Wikimedia
Photo by GFreihalter, on Wikimedia
- FREIRE CAMANIEL, José (1998). El monacato gallego en la alta edad media, vol. II. La Corunya: Fund. Pedro Barrié de la Maza
- GONZÁLEZ SÁNCHEZ, José Manuel (1989). Los encomenderos del monasterio de San Miguel de Eiré. El Museo de Pontevedra, vol. XLIII. Pontevedra: Museo de Pontevedra
- PÉREZ GONZÁLEZ, José María; dir. (2018). Enciclopedia del Románico en Galicia. Lugo. 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
The church of the monastery is located in Eiré, in the municipality of Pantón, to the northwest of Ferreira de Pantón