Granja de Briz, a magical place in Marín. Ría de Pontevedra.

It is a property of almost 25,000 square meters of public ownership. It was a former farm owned by the Oseira Monastery (which is in the province of Ourense) that was acquired by D. Roberto Munaiz in 1838. His family built a house on the property called Villa Paula.

Later in 1942…


Coordinates to find the location of Marín in Galicia. Extend the map and reach Granja de Briz: 42.389801, -8.705812

Castle of Santa Cruz, A Guarda, in the mouth of the River Miño.

Today we are in A Guarda to visit the Castle of Santa Cruz.

The Castle was built between 1663 and 1664 to defend A Guarda from the Portuguese, who wanted independence from Spain (they achieved in 1668, with the Treaty of Lisbon). It takes its name from D. Alvaro de Bazán, Marquis of Santa Cruz (who died in 1588, Captain General of the Spanish Armada during the reigns of Philip II and Carlos V).

Fraga (Forest) of Catasós in Lalín. Part 2.

Click here for part 1: Fraga (Forest) of Catasós in Lalín. Part 1.

We had left the souto with the chestnut trees aligned. We continue our walk.

Fraga (Forest) of Catasós in Lalín. Part 1.

Since the American phytopathologist Filippo Gravatt visited la Fraga de Catasós and proposed to FAO its protection, until it was declared a natural monument by the Xunta de Galicia (Galician regional government), 46 years had pass.

What is ”fraga”. Fraga is a Galician word meaning a lush forest with a wide variety of native tree species such as chestnuts, oaks, cork oaks and others.

Cathedral of Tui. The Inside. Part 5. The Cloister (III).

This is the third part of our visit to the Cloister of the Cathedral. We will see the gallery located to the south.

Cathedral of Tui. The Inside. Part 5. The Cloister (II).

This is the second part of our visit to the Cloister of the Cathedral. We will see the east gallery and the Romanesque Chapter House and also the viewpoint and the gardens of the palace.

Cathedral of Tui. The Inside. Part 5. The Cloister (I).

The Gothic Cloister was built in the first half of the 13th century. The south gallery of the cloister was rebuilt in the 15^th century incorporating several burials. The Tower of Soutomaior was also built in the 15^th century in the southwest corner of the cloister.

Besides the mentioned graves the cloister (all of its galleries and the Romanesque chapter house that is located in the east gallery) is part of the Cathedral Museum. The other part of the Museum is the Chapel of Santa Catalina which houses the Cathedral Treasure.

Cathedral of Tui. The Inside. Part 4. Cathedral Museum. Chapel of Santa Catalina (II).

Our visit to the Museum continues.


We can see in the center of the picture in its lower part the reliquary Copón de Coco. It is made of silver and coconut (15^th century). There are also chalices of different historical periods.

Cathedral of Tui. The Inside. Part 4. Cathedral Museum. Chapel of Santa Catalina (I).

The Cathedral Museum is divided into three parts: the Chapel of Santa Catalina, the Cloister and the Chapter House.

The Chapel of Santa Catalina:

It is located beside the right aisle of the Cathedral. It is Gothic (14^th century) but it was entirely transformed in the 17^th and 18^th centuries. The Cathedral Treasure is guarded in the Chapel of Santa Catalina.

The reliquary called Copón de Coco, the statue of the Virgin and Child “la Patrona”, the complete red three-piece suit (16^th century), the silver amphorae of the Holy Oils, Processional Monstrance (1602), the statue of Saint Anne, Madonna and Child (1520), the Ship of San Telmo, Baroque altarpieces stand out among the valuable treasures that the Cathedral Museum contains.

Cathedral of Tui. The Inside. Part 3. The Chapels of the Church.

We will visit today the chapels of the Cathedral. They are: the Chapel del Santísimo that is located beside the aisle to the left. The High Chapel in the apse has the Chapel of Santiago and the Chapel of San Pedro on both sides. We will also see the Chapel of San Telmo also called Chapel of the Relics. The Chapel of Santa Catalina deserves separate treatment by being there the Cathedral Museum.

Cathedral of Tui. The Inside. Part 2. The Transept of the Church.

The transept is of Romanesque style. It has three naves. Part of the transept is an extension of the side aisles being similar to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. Both are pilgrimage churches.

The central nave of the transept in its northern part is occupied by the Monumento de Semana Santa (Holly Week Monument). The altarpiece de la Expectación is in the southern part.

The Chapel of Santo Cristo de la Agonía (northern part) and the Chapel Altarpiece of la Soledad (southern part) are located in the aisles of the transept. Romanesque capitals that are located in the transept stand out for their rich ornamentation.

Cathedral of Tui. The Inside. Part 1. The Naves of the Church.

We start here the visit to the Cathedral. We will divide the visit into parts. First we will see the Church, after the Cathedral Museum and last but not least the Cloister.

As regards the Church we will see first the naves, after the transept and last the chapels of the Cathedral (Chapel del Santísimo, Chapel of Santiago, the Main Chapel, Chapel of San Pedro and Chapel of San Telmo).

The Cathedral Museum follows the chapels because the Museum is located in one of them, Chapel of Santa Catalina.

The Cloister also contains important archaeological remains which belong to the Museum. We also will see the Romanesque Chapter Hall and the Tower of Soutomaior.

Today we will see the naves of the Cathedral.