Four pazos to discover Galicia

Galicia is known for its pazos. These large manor houses, which date mostly from the sixteenth to seventeenth centuries and were the residence of the Galician nobility, are found and adorn every little corner of the Community. In fact, these constructions amount to 900 pazos throughout the territory, according to the Inventario Xeral de Patrimonio. Galicia boasts once again of culture and tradition and, today, we talk about some of the most beautiful pazos that you can find.

Pazo de Oca

The Pazo de Oca, known as the "Galician Versailles", is an architectural treasure located in La Estrada (Pontevedra). This 15th century pazo has been remodeled in different periods, merging architectural styles ranging from Gothic to Baroque. 

Its main facade impresses with its elegance, but the highlight is its magnificent gardens, which include ponds, fountains and a great variety of trees and plants. The gardens of the pazo, laid out in the second decade of the 18th century, are considered one of the most beautiful in Galicia and are listed as an Asset of Cultural Interest.

The Pazo de Oca belongs to the Ducal House of Medinaceli Foundation and is part of the Camellia Route, a tour of Galicia through 12 pazos and gardens, among which are the Pazo de Mariñán (Bergondo), the Alameda de Santiago de Compostela and the Belvís Park, the Pazo de Ribadulla (Vedra), the Pazo de Rosalba (Vedra), the Casa-Museo de Rosalba, the Pazo de Rosalba (Vedra), the Casa-Museo de Rosalba (Vedra), the Pazo de Rosalba (Vedra), and the Pazo de Oca, the House-Museum of Rosalía de Castro (Padrón), the Pazo de Rubiáns (Vilagarcía de Arousa), the Pazo de Quinteiro da Cruz (Ribadumia), the Pazo de la Saleta (Meis), the Pazo de Lourizán, the Castle of Soutomaior (Pontevedra), the urban park of O Castro (Vigo) and the garden of the Quiñones de León Museum (Vigo). 

Pazo de Rubiáns

Located in Vilagarcía de Arousa, the Pazo de Rubiáns finds its origin in a 17th century fortress tower in which García Caamaño built his residence at the beginning of the 15th century and which 300 years later would be rebuilt by Jacobo Ozores. In this manor house, in addition to finding 600 years of heritage and its architectural beauty, we will also be enraptured by the largest vineyard in the Salnés region, a historic garden crowned by camellias and a 15th century wine cellar.

Pazo de Lourizán

The roots of the modernist Pazo de Lourizán can be found in an old 15th century farmhouse of which today only a dovecote remains. The current building, designed by Jenaro de la Fuente Domínguez, has a romantic air and is influenced by modernism, classicism and French architecture of the Second Empire.

The pazo has more than 50 hectares of gardens, an estate and one of the most important groves in Europe, a space where you can see the different uses it has had over the centuries as a farm, botanical garden and forestry research center.

Pazo de San Lorenzo de Trasouto

The Pazo de San Lorenzo de Trasouto, declared a national monument, is located in the oak grove that gives it its name, in Santiago de Compostela. Of monastic origins, it was ordered to be built by the Bishop of Zamora, Martín Arias, in the 13th century, and was occupied by Franciscans. In the 19th century it became the property of the Counts of Altamira. 

The magic of these and all the pazos that crown the Galician lands is undeniable. In the end, these architectural treasures allow us to travel back in time and explore the cultural richness of Galicia in all its splendor.