Monasterio de Santa María

The Monasterio de Santa María is a former monastic complex in Villanueva de Oscos, founded in the 12th century as a Benedictine house and later linked to the Cistercian order. For centuries it shaped the agrarian, economic and social life of the area. After the Mendizábal disentailment its buildings passed into civil hands, although the church remained a parish church, as it still is today.

The Romanesque church has three naves and an east end with three apses; inside is the tomb of Juan Álvarez Osorio, an important benefactor of the monastery. To the south, the monastic complex is arranged around a patio, largely rebuilt in the 17th and 18th centuries, with slate walls. Today it can be visited on a self-guided route, in Spanish and English, with information panels, audio guides and an audiovisual in the former cellar.