Mondoñedo

Lugo

Max 19ºC / Min 13ºC

Lugo / Galicia

Located in a broad open valley giving onto the Cantabrian Sea, Mondoñedo is one of the most evocative capitals of the ancient Kingdom of Galicia. Its historic quarter has been declared a Property of Cultural Interest.

The Cathedral-Basilica of La Asunción, a national monument, still conserves the original Romanesque doorway; other features include a lovely rose window and Baroque towers. The transept and sacristy were built at a later date in the Gothic style. The interior also features a juxtaposition of styles, with mural paintings dating from the 15th and 16th centuries, Baroque organs, Gothic and Renaissance choir stalls and a rococo-style main altarpiece. It is home to the diocesan cathedral museum, one of the most important religious art museums in Spain.

The cathedral square itself is the site of the Episcopal Palace, the Old Consistory –dating from the 16th century and today the local library–, the monument to the writer Álvaro Cunqueiro, and several houses with colonnades. Near the square is Charles V's coat of arms engraved on the Fonte Vella (old fountain). The imposing 18th-century building of the Santa Catalina Seminary stands behind the cathedral. The convents of La Concepción and San Pedro de Alcántara are in the Baroque style. Another interesting area is the Os Muiños neighbourhood with its traditional architecture and system of canals.