Monastery of Santa María de San Clodio
San Clodio de Leiro / San Clodio de Ribeiro / Ribeiro de Avia
(Leiro, Ourense)
Despite the legends that place its origins in the 6th century, the Monastery of Santa María de San Clodio was founded and endowed by Álvaro and Sabita in 928. It is considered to have been a mixed monastery with a familial character, dedicated to Saint Claudius of León, a martyr from the 4th century, an abbot who, according to tradition, sought refuge in these lands while fleeing persecution. During the abbacy of Pelagius, in the mid-11th century, a new church was consecrated, at which time the Rule of Saint Benedict was adopted.
In 1185, a document from Pope Lucius III included the monastery among the possessions of the Church of Ourense. It is highly likely that in 1225 the monastery joined the Cistercian Order and became affiliated with the Monastery of Melón, although some authors place this change at a later date. The community enjoyed tax exemption privileges granted by various monarchs, starting with Alfonso IX (1218) onward. The monastery also played a significant role in the suppression of the female monastery of San Miguel de Bóveda. When the abbess of that monastery died in 1446, the abbot of San Clodio attempted to seize its properties, an objective he only achieved in 1482.
Despite these efforts, the monastery entered a period of decline that lasted until 1536, when it joined the Castilian Cistercian Congregation. This marked the beginning of a new era of prosperity, allowing for the reconstruction of the monastic facilities. With the disentailment of 1835, the monks were expelled, and the monastery was occupied by various institutions, including a military barracks. This led to the loss of many of its assets, including its archive and library. Nonetheless, the monastery temporarily regained its religious function: between 1891 and 1990, a Benedictine community linked to the Monastery of San Xulián de Samos (Lugo) resided there. In 1951, when Samos suffered a fire, San Clodio temporarily hosted that community.
Of the entire monastic complex, the only medieval structure that remains is the church, built during the arrival of the Cistercians. It is a building with three naves of four bays, three apses, and no transept. The eastern façade features a slightly pointed portal, with three columns on each side, decorated with capitals and simple archivolts. In the 16th century, with its inclusion in the Castilian Cistercian Congregation and an improvement in its financial resources, the monastic facilities were completely renovated, and the church replaced its wooden roof with stone vaults.
The monastery was structured around two cloisters: the Hospice Cloister, newly built and begun in 1580, and the Regular Cloister, constructed between the 16th and 17th centuries, adjoining the church and replacing the earlier one. Subsequent minor renovations were carried out. After the disentailment, the complex deteriorated due to its various uses and abandonment, until the arrival of the new Benedictine community in the late 19th century. Between the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the monastic facilities and the church were restored. Today, the monastic complex has been converted into a hotel establishment.
Regular Cloister
Regular Cloister
Hospice Cloister
Hospice Cloister
Hospice Cloister
Affiliation of San Clodio
According to Originum Cisterciensium (L. Janauschek, 1877)
Hospice Cloister
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- YEPES, Antonio de (reed. 1960). Crónica General de la Orden de San Benito. Vol. II. Madrid: Atlas
The monastery is located in the municipality of Leiro, west of Ourense, in an area far from major communication routes