Igrexa de Santa María de Rao

Igrexa de Santa María de Rao is the parish church of the village of Rao, in the municipality of Navia de Suarna, province of Lugo, Galicia. It sits in the Os Ancares comarca, in the mountainous border area between Galicia, Asturias and Castile and León.

Where is Rao located?

Rao is one of the parishes of the municipality of Navia de Suarna, bordered by Asturias to the north and east, by the parish of Pando to the south, and by Moya and Muñís to the west. The parish itself is made up of fourteen settlements: Aigas, Asar, Becerral, Coro, Faquís, Fulgueiras de Aigas, Laxo, Meda, Murias, Peliceiras, Prebello, Rao, Robledo and Traserra. It is a sparsely populated, mountainous corner of Lugo province — as of the 1991 census, the parish had 258 inhabitants, a density of just 4.2 people per square kilometre. The village of Rao itself carries the postal code 27652.

What makes the church worth a stop?

The parish church of Santa María de Rao is best known for its altarpieces, dated to the 16th and 18th centuries. According to municipal tourist information, this is the main reason the church is listed among the region's notable religious sites. A few metres from the building stands the parish cemetery, a common feature of the small rural communities scattered across this part of Galicia.

What is the parish's history?

Like several neighbouring parishes on the Asturian side of the border, Rao belonged for centuries to the Diocese of Oviedo. That changed in 1954, when Rao was transferred to the Diocese of Lugo, following a concordat signed the previous year between the Holy See and the Spanish government. The change was part of a wider reorganisation of church boundaries along the northern Spanish border and affected several other Galician-Asturian border parishes as well.

How to get there and what else to see nearby

Navia de Suarna, the municipality Rao belongs to, lies at the heart of Os Ancares, a mountain region known for its hiking routes and the landscapes where Galicia, Asturias and Castile and León meet. Within the municipality, the medieval bridge at A Pobra de Navia is one of the more recognisable landmarks of this part of Lugo province. Rao itself sits in a hilly, thinly populated stretch of the municipality, so reaching it means driving local rural roads — it is worth planning the route in advance with up-to-date navigation, since road conditions in this area can vary with the season.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the Igrexa de Santa María de Rao? In the village of Rao, in the municipality of Navia de Suarna, province of Lugo, Galicia, within the mountainous Os Ancares comarca.

What is the most valuable feature inside the church? Its altarpieces, dated to the 16th and 18th centuries, considered the church's most notable furnishings.

Which diocese does the Rao parish belong to? Today, the Diocese of Lugo. Until 1954 it belonged to the Diocese of Oviedo; the change followed a 1953 concordat between the Holy See and the Spanish government.

Is there anything else of note next to the church? Yes, the parish cemetery lies just a few metres away, a typical feature of rural communities in this part of Galicia.