Bispo – Santa María de O Bispo, the Camino de Santiago and rural character

In the centre of O Bispo stands the church of Santa María de O Bispo in a small atrium enclosed by a granite wall. Near the church, a cruceiro, a Galician stone cross, stands in a prominent location in the village. O Bispo’s agricultural and livestock-farming character gives it a traditional rural character.

Culture

Santa María de Bispo is one of the elements included in the 1993 declaration of the Camino de Santiago as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, outside the BIC area. The church of Santa María de Bispo is designated as a Romanesque building. As station 3.7, Santa María de Bispo belongs to the “Monterroso Sur” section of “Viaje al Románico”.

The connection with the Camino de Santiago and Romanesque architecture thus brings together several names that have been handed down for Santa María de Bispo. Station 3.7 places the church within the “Monterroso Sur” section, while its inclusion in the 1993 declaration of the Camino de Santiago as a UNESCO World Heritage Site represents another designated connection. Both classifications refer to the same church building in O Bispo.

History

Only a small part of the Romanesque fabric has survived at Santa María de O Bispo, as the church has been altered several times. The altarpiece in the main chapel of Santa María de Bispo is Neoclassical and was created between the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It includes depictions of Our Lady of Candlemas and Saint Joseph. A medieval baptismal font has been preserved inside Santa María de O Bispo.

The church interior therefore displays different chronological layers: only a small part of the Romanesque fabric has survived, the multiple alterations form part of the building’s history, and the altarpiece represents a later furnishing phase. Its dating to between the late 18th and early 19th centuries distinguishes it chronologically from the medieval baptismal font. The depictions of Our Lady of Candlemas and Saint Joseph also identify the subjects of the altarpiece in the main chapel.

Geographical setting

The Museo Etnográfico de Arxeriz is located in the wider regional surroundings of Bispo. The Monasterio de San Pelayo is likewise located in the wider regional surroundings of Bispo. The Pazo de Tor palace is located in the wider regional surroundings of Bispo. The Monte do faro mountain is located in the wider regional surroundings of Bispo. The Monte Acebedo mountain is located in the wider regional surroundings of Bispo. The historic site of O porco de Lalín is located in the wider regional surroundings of Bispo. The A Pena de Fornos mountain is located in the wider regional surroundings of Bispo. The Peña de Francia summit is located in the wider regional surroundings of Bispo.

The wider regional surroundings therefore include various named types of places. These include an ethnographic museum, a monastery, a palace and a historic site, as well as the mountains Monte do faro, Monte Acebedo and A Pena de Fornos. Peña de Francia is also named as a summit. The geographical classification is the same for all these destinations: they are assigned to the wider regional surroundings of Bispo.

Other local pages

Other local pages: Vilamelle, Braña, Fonte De Cervos, Samos, Quiroga, Lourenzá, Pena, Adelán

To the main travel overview: Lugo.