Monasterio de la Merced

The Monasterio de la Merced, or Monasterio de Santa María de Raíces, is a ruined complex at the foot of the Peñón de Raíces in Raíces Viejo (municipality of Castrillón), within the same archaeological site as the Castillo de Gauzón. It began as a Franciscan house founded between 1413 and 1420 on the initiative of a resident of Avilés; the friars left it in the mid-15th century and in 1461 it passed to the Order of La Merced, whose religious occupied it from 1483. Its patronage remained tied to the Alas family of Avilés.

Set into the walls survive a Romanesque arcade with small columns, two arched doorways, several coats of arms and the church’s bell gable. The Ayuntamiento de Castrillón counts it among the municipality’s medieval heritage and has scheduled guided visits there during its Semana Medieval; its surroundings also serve as the setting for the Raíces organic market.