Santa Comba de Bande was the site of an ancient monastery, whose origins are poorly known due to a lack of documentation. According to sources, in the year 872, Alfonso III (c. 848–910) is said to have entrusted Odoario with repopulating these lands, which mention the existence of the monastery of Santa Comba (also known as Coloma or Columba), which would have been restored.
The monastery appears to have been occupied by a female community, although it is also considered that it might have been a mixed monastic establishment. The donation of this monastery to San Salvador de Celanova is documented in the year 982, made by Odoino, who is regarded as the restorer of the monastery, where his mother had joined as a nun. Over time, Santa Comba became a priory dependent on Celanova. In 1601, the relics of Saint Torquatus (or Trocado), a disciple of Saint James the Great, which until then had been venerated in this church, were transferred to Celanova. For this reason, the site is also known as San Trocado de Bande.
More than for its monastic significance, the importance of the site lies in its church, a magnificent pre-Romanesque example whose dating has been the subject of debate. It is likely a structure of Visigothic tradition, later built by Mozarabic communities. In fact, according to tradition, the relics of Saint Torquatus are said to have arrived in Galicia from Guadix (Granada). The construction of the church could date to the second half of the 8th century, a hypothesis that recent studies seem to confirm, although it has also been placed around the 9th-10th centuries. The church is believed to have been built in a relatively short time and has not undergone significant structural modifications throughout its history. It features a Greek cross layout, with four arms of equal dimensions, and includes a chancel to the east and an atrium to the west.
Inscription of Abbot Gaspar Rodríguez
Schematic plan of the church
Horseshoe arch of the chancel
Capitals of the chancel arch
Capitals of the chancel arch
Chancel mural decoration
Chancel mural decoration
Chancel mural decoration
Ancient tomb of Saint Torquatus
- CABALLERO, Luis; i altres (2003). Santa Comba de Bande (Orense). Arquitectura y documentación escrita. Arqueología de la Arquitectura, núm. 2
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- 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
- SÁ BRAVO, Hipólito de (1972). El monacato en Galicia. Vol. 2. La Corunya: Librigal
- SÁNCHEZ-PARDO, José C.; i altres (2017). The church of Santa Comba de Bande and early medieval Iberian architecture: new chronological results. Antiquity
The church of Santa Comba is located in the municipality of Bande, south of Celanova and Ourense