Verin

During the Middle Ages Verin’s agricultural population had a relatively calm existence, however there were some armed conflicts because of the successive leaders of Monterrei, the Irmandiñas War, as well as the frontier disputes between Spain and Portugal. In the year 1506, Philip “The Handsome” had a meeting in Verin with the cardinal Cisneros. In March, 1809, during the War of the Independence, the marshall Soult took the fortress and turned it into the last one of his theatres of war. With Monterrei’s decline, already in the Modern Age, the villa began to prosper and to gain primacy due to the power of the guilds, the trade and the local crafts, emphasizing the figure of its nobility until well into the later part of the 20th century.

Verin is known because of its wines, its carnival, its history and its strategic localization; but it is also known because of its water, Verin is the place with the biggest hydrotherapeutic density in Galicia. Fontenova, Cabreiroá and Sousas spas are its main turistic claim. Surely one of them was the protagonist of the following legend: when the French invaded Galicia during the Independence War, the horse of their captain became sick, so they left it behind. But in their way back to France they found the horse cured. Some citizens explain that the horse had drinked water in one of the fountains in Verin and it had grazed the grass bathed by this water.

Cabreiroá is the most famous spring of the locality, just 1,5 kilometres away from Verin. Its water is commercialized nationally. It is worth approaching up to it by the natural enclosure that surrounds it, with approximately 72.000 m2 of landscaped zones and forests, as well as visiting “Templete de los Agüistas”, a tiled building built in 1907 with octogonal plan, in whose center there is an enormous bubble full of water with a small tap from which you can drink freely.

Two kilometres far from the villa is the Castle of Monterrei, strategic enclave during the Middle Ages, this is not only a castle but a strength of triple wall that includes several buildings. Only the Hospital of Pilgrims‘ front remains, this was founded by D. Gaspar de Zúñiga. In the tympanum, you can find Jesus Christ figure that stands out from the figures of the Tetramorphs, and in the keystone of the arch an angel head-downward. The arch is flanked by the figures of the Annunciation.

Santa Maria de Gracia Church is a Gothic temple (centuries XIV – XV) with a single nave covered with wood and a rectangular apse with ribbed vault. A stone altarpiece stands out with the Salvador and twelve Passion reliefs. There are also two tower remaining inside the wall: the Tower of the Ladies (XIV) and the Tower of the Honoring, the most impressive. In the weapons square, you can find the Palacio de los Condes, with Renaissance style and with reduced arches big galleries. This fortress is in addition the protagonist of numerous legends as, for example, the one about the unfaithful countess, who, because of being afraid of her husband’s wrath, dashed from the top of the wall to a well, this well is called “Pozo Verde” (Green Well).

It is necessary to visit the Parroqual de Santa María la Mayor Church in Verin, this church was built at the beginning of the 17th century, however its tower is later. Inside, the Christ of the battles stands out (attributed to Gregorio Fernandez or Martínez Montañés), the rococo styled cross also stands out. The La Merced Church and Monastery were donated to the friars of the mercy by the count of Monterrey. Mostly from the 18th century, the monastery has a baroque tower and balustrade balconies. The monastery church has a very simple front, with square tower finished off in dome. Inside there is a baroque altarpiece realized by Francisco Moure.

In the old city area, there is the Casa de los Acevedo, it has a great historical value because in it took place the famous meeting between the cardinal Cisneros and Philip I “the Handsome”.