Pazo San Amaro

PAZO SAN MAURO

Location

Council: Salvaterra de Miño
Parish: Porto (San Paulo)
Place: Porto (San Paulo)
Chronology: Modern Age (XVI-XVIII)
Coordinates: 42º 03' 51.0" N - 8º 31' 57.9" W

The chapel of the pazo, consecrated to San Amaro, gives its name to this construction located next to the Miño, in the parish of San Pablo de Porto, although it is also known as Pazo de Porto. The paciego complex also includes a beach and an island in the river, in addition to an extensive vineyard.

On the top, dominating the entire panorama to the river, is the house, with a simple and friendly layout. In front of it, on the other bank of the Miño, in Portugal, is the slender Lapela tower.

The building was the main residence of the Pereira de Castro, a lineage that branched out throughout the territory of historic Galicia. It was the Marquis Pedro Vaz Pereira de Castro, who owes the construction of this beautiful pazo in 1591, as contemplated in the inscription that accompanies the main shield of the building:

"ESTA CASA MANDO AZER P. VAZ PEREIRA- HIJO DE VAZ PEREIRA DE CASTRO. La. 1591"

The fortified tower located in front, in the Portuguese town of Lapela, was probably built on the ruins of an existing defensive tower in response to times of hostilities between the two countries.

In 1960 the Villar family bought the entire paciego complex, subsequently undertaking the agricultural transformation of the estate to later convert it into a wine-growing operation due to the high quality achieved by the wines in these lands.

Inside the farm, of about 30 hectares, we find several buildings. The house has a "L" plan, and the secondary dependencies were rehabilitated as warehouses. We can also see a granary with five clearings made of wood and stone, which is a reminder of the splendid agricultural times of the house.

The main entrance was through a path that leads to a crenellated stone gate, behind which we find a landscaped courtyard with fragrant plants and a fountain, and that was where the stables and service units used to be.

The San Amaro chapel was built as a separate building in 1582, years before the pazo itself was built (1591). Undergoing a recent restoration, this chapel deserves a special mention for its age, architectural beauty and the traditional pilgrimage that is held every January 15 in honor of San Amaro.

There are a total of five shields spread across the various buildings. On the front of the chapel we find two: on the left you can see the Pereira and Castro weapons, which correspond to the promoter's maternal ancestry, while on the right are those of the Lobato and the Bacelar family, which correspond to parental ancestry. Another of the shields is between the two doors of the main façade (to the north) of the pazo, and includes the Sotomayor insignia along with those of another lineage with weapons similar to those of the Bugarín. At the top of the wall facing the nascent there is a shield with the arms of the Lobato, and in this same patio, on the wall that faces noon, we find the most valuable shield of the house in which the Castros are reflected , the Pereira, the Lobato and the Bacelar.
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