Museo Parroquial de San Martiño de Mondoñedo

About the museum

The Basilica of San Martiño de Mondoñedo, in Foz, was built at the end of the 11th century on the site of an earlier church and is regarded as the oldest cathedral in Spain. In the 9th century it was the seat of a double bishopric, of the dioceses of Dumio and Britonia, which had been transferred there from other places; later the see moved to Mondoñedo. It has been a parish church since the 17th century, it has been listed as a Bien de Interés Cultural since 1931, and it received the title of basilica in 2007.

The parish museum, in the southern part of the church, keeps pieces linked to the bishop Saint Gonzalo, among them his crozier and his ring. Since 2018 the former rectory has also housed an interpretation centre with rooms on the history of the church, the figure of Saint Rosendo and the discovery of the oldest Romanesque paintings in Galicia, dating from the 12th century.

The centre displays a reproduction of the charter (diploma) of King Silo, signed in 775; a tombstone and a fragment of a funerary slab (lauda) with Visigothic lettering, found in the excavations of 1967; a room on Galician Romanesque art; and a collection of coins from the 11th to the 17th centuries. The visit ends in the Cámara do Bispo, with reproductions of the crozier and ring of Saint Gonzalo.

Highlights

• Romanesque basilica regarded as the oldest cathedral in Spain
• Parish museum with pieces of Saint Gonzalo
• 12th-century Romanesque paintings
• Reproduction of King Silo’s charter (775)
• Room devoted to Saint Rosendo and Galician Romanesque art
• Collection of coins from the 11th to the 17th centuries

Permanent exhibitions

• Centro de interpretación de la basílica – Rooms on the history of the church, Saint Rosendo, Galician Romanesque art, the 12th-century paintings, a coin collection and the Cámara do Bispo.
• Museo parroquial – Museum in the southern part of the church, beside the tomb of Saint Gonzalo, with pieces linked to the saintly bishop.

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Free admission.

Accessibility

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

From Foz, take the N-642 and the turn-off onto the LU-2001; after about 3 km, follow the signs to the Basilica of San Martiño.

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit