Monastery of San Salvador de Ferreira
Mosteiro de S. Salvador e Santa María de Ferreira / S Salvatoris et S Marie / Ferreyra / Ferraria
(Pantón, Lugo)
The origins of this monastery are uncertain. It has been suggested that it may have been an early medieval establishment and even a double monastery, housing both monks and nuns. Archaeological evidence confirms its existence at least since the 11th century. However, the earliest documentary reference to the site dates back to the year 1108, in a donation made in its favor, which mentions its abbess, Ximena. At that time, the monastery maintained ties with Cluny.
Possibly, at a later stage, the monastery experienced a period of decline and most likely became uninhabited. It was its patrons who took responsibility for restoration. In 1175, Countess Fronilda Fernández († c. 1189), who owned the monastery as part of her ancestral inheritance, obtained the necessary episcopal authorization and reestablished a new community. At that time, the Cistercian rule was introduced, placing the monastery under the authority of the Abbey of Santa María de Meira, effectively making it a priory of that monastery. The founder, although not professing nor joining the Cistercian community, maintained certain ties with the house and even exercised authority over it, participating in numerous decisions.
This relationship ended in the late 16th century, when the monastery joined the Cistercian Congregation of Castile, at which point its dependency on Meira also ceased. In 1835, the monastery was deprived of its assets, and the community was forced to abandon it. However, in 1858, the Cistercian nuns were able to return, and the monastery remains active to this day. From an architectural heritage perspective, the monastery's church stands out as the only Romanesque part of the complex. It is a single-nave building with a semicircular apse and an additional chapel added in the 18th century. The church preserves several capitals from the period, both on the exterior and interior. The remaining structures date from the reconstruction carried out from the 16th century onwards, continuing into the 18th century.
Tomb of Diego de Lemos († 1492)
Tob of Lope de Lemos (s. XVI)
Cloister
- ENRÍQUEZ RODRÍGUEZ, Flor (1984). Real Monasterio de Sta. Mª de Ferreira de Pantón. Estudio artístico. Cistercium, núm. 166
- FREIRE CAMANIEL, José (1998). El monacato gallego en la alta edad media, vol. II. La Corunya: Fund. Pedro Barrié de la Maza
- MANRIQUE, Angel (1649). Cisterciensium Annalium, Vol. 3. Lió: L. Anisson
- MOURE PENA, Teresa (2003). Precisiones históricas sobre el monasterio cisterciense de San Salvador de Ferreira de Pantón (Lugo) a partir de nuevos testimonios documentales y arqueológicos. Cistercium, núm. 231
- 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
- RISCO, Fray Manuel (1798). España Sagrada, Lugo, vol. 41. Madrid: Marín
- SÁ BRAVO, Hipólito de (1972). El monacato en Galicia. Vol. 1. La Corunya: Librigal
- SUÁREZ GONZÁLEZ, Ana (2019). Sobre la “refundación” e incorporación al Císter del monasterio de Ferreira de Pantón (Lugo). Nuevas lecturas y otros testigos. Historia. Instituciones. Documentos, núm. 46
- YAÑEZ NEIRA, Damián (2000). Ferreira de Pantón. Monasterio cisterciense en la Ribeira Sacra. Lleó: Edilesav
- YAÑEZ NEIRA, Damián; coord. (2000). Monasticón cisterciense gallego, vol. 2. Lleó: Edilesa
The monastery is located east of the town of Ferreira de Pantón and can be reached via the road connecting Monforte de Lemos to Ourense