Travel Guide Celanova

About thirty kilometres south of Ourense, this small town of more than 5,600 inhabitants is an essential stop on a trip to this region of Galicia. The main reason for going there is to admire the monastery of San Salvador de Celanova, which was at the origin of the town's development. Founded in 936 and modified in the 17th and 18th centuries, it is one of the most beautiful monasteries in Galicia, especially thanks to the beauty of the nave of its abbey church. A short walk around the casco antiguo, around the streets Ariba, Abajo and Bótica, will allow you to admire the houses with balconies and galleries, which are very low in height. This is due to a privilege granted to the monastery until 1921: that the height of the houses should not exceed the height of the monastery windows! Celanova is also a land of poets, where two popular Galician writers were born, Manuel Curros Enríquez (1851-1908) and Celso Emilio Ferreiro (1912-1979), who were inspired by the beauty of the place. One kilometre from Celanova is Vilanova dos Infantes, another charming medieval village. Finally your walk will take you to the Castromao. A Celtic complex, located on a hill next to the village, which was the capital of the Coelernios tribe.