Monasterio de Santa Catalina

Monasterio de Santa Catalina is a former Franciscan monastery perched on the Montefaro hill in the municipality of Ares, in the province of A Coruña, Galicia, Spain. Its full local name, Monasterio de Santa Catalina de Montefaro, points straight to its setting: a headland overlooking the mouth of the Eume river and the Ares-Betanzos estuary.

How to get there?

Ares sits roughly 25 km from A Coruña, the nearest city with an airport, from where you can continue by car or local bus. The monastery itself stands on rising ground just outside town, so a car or a short uphill walk is needed to reach it — a walk rewarded within minutes by sweeping views over the bay.

What will you see?

The building blends Romanesque and Gothic elements, a transitional style typical of religious architecture on the Iberian Peninsula between the 12th and 14th centuries. Its story begins in the 12th century: the first foundation is attributed to Count Pedro de Osorio of the House of Traba, around 1145, and local tradition holds that a Roman sun altar once stood on the same site. The monastery as it stands today, however, only took shape in 1393, founded by Fernán Pérez de Andrade — a member of the powerful Andrade lineage — who established a convent for Franciscan tertiaries with the approval of the Archbishop of Santiago de Compostela, Juan García Manrique, granted in Burgos.

Franciscan friars lived here for several centuries, though their numbers dwindled steadily: from around thirty at the community's peak to just eight by the 18th century. Their presence ended for good in 1835, when the nationwide Mendizábal disentailment forced the friars out. The Spanish army then took over the building as a garrison, closing it off to visitors for well over a century.

That changed in 2000, when an agreement between the Ares town council and the Spanish military transferred control of the monastery to the municipality. The same year, the building was declared a Bien de Interés Cultural — Spain's equivalent of a national heritage monument — opening the door to gradual restoration of the complex.

Visitors today can take in the monastery's stone mass, walls that bear the marks of centuries of rebuilding, and a striking hilltop position facing the Atlantic and the Eume estuary. It's a place where medieval foundation, monastic life, and military occupation have each left their layer, set against the dramatic backdrop of the Galician coast.

When to visit?

Spring and early autumn are the best times to come, when Galician weather is mild and the surrounding hills are at their greenest. Summer brings more visitors to the area thanks to the beaches along the Ares-Betanzos estuary, so an early-morning visit is worth planning if you want to enjoy the quiet, contemplative atmosphere the site is known for.

Frequently asked questions

Is the monastery open to visitors? Since passing to the Ares town council in 2000, the building has been gradually opened to the public, though opening hours and access depend on ongoing restoration work — it's worth checking with the local tourist office before visiting.

Where does the name Montefaro come from? It refers to the hill on which the monastery stands — Montefaro is the local geographic name for this rise above the Ares-Betanzos estuary.

Who founded the monastery? The complex as it exists today was formally founded in 1393 by Fernán Pérez de Andrade, of the influential Galician Andrade family, although the earliest religious settlement on the site dates back to the 12th century.

Why did the Franciscans leave? The friars departed in 1835 as a result of the Mendizábal disentailment, a nationwide process of confiscating and selling off church property that affected many monasteries across Spain at the time.