Pazo de Santa Cruz

Pazo de Santa Cruz is a 17th-century Galician manor house set on a hilltop above Bueu Bay, in the municipality of Bueu, province of Pontevedra. Also known as Pazo de Quitapesares, it combines a fortified stone tower, a small chapel, and an English-style garden crowned by a Victorian glasshouse — a rare chance to see how Galicia's landed gentry once lived, just outside the noise of the town center.

Who built Pazo de Santa Cruz?

The manor was raised in 1659 by Fernando de la Rúa Freire, then abbot of Bueu and a commissioner of the Holy Office, who also held lordship over the neighboring pazos of Castrelo and Ouril. The building still shows the hallmarks of Galician noble architecture from that period: a heavy, battlemented tower and three coats of arms displayed on the facade, marking the family's standing. On the grounds stands a traditional hórreo, the raised stone granary typical of rural Galicia, and the estate once had a dovecote as well.

Where does the name "Santa Cruz" come from?

In 1671, a few decades after the main house went up, a small late-Gothic chapel dedicated to Santa Ifigenia was built on the property. Curiously, its main altar holds no image of the saint at all — instead there's a cross carved from ebony and ivory, and it's that cross, not the saint, that gave the whole estate its name: Pazo de Santa Cruz, the "Pazo of the Holy Cross." The chapel stays closed to visitors most of the year, opening only for the Santa Eufemia festival in mid-September.

What will you actually see there?

Beyond the manor house itself, the main draw is the extensive garden and a stone terrace of more than 200 square meters overlooking the bay and the hills of Cela. The garden, marked with the family's coat of arms, holds centuries-old trees, fruit orchards, and vegetable plots still worked today. The real showpiece, though, is the Victorian greenhouse installed in 2008 — a structure of white-painted wood and glass built as a faithful copy of a 19th-century English orangery, filled with greenery and soft, filtered light. Known locally as the "Invernadero del Pazo de Santa Cruz," this glasshouse is now the estate's biggest draw and its most requested event backdrop.

How do you actually visit?

Pazo de Santa Cruz is privately owned and not open for casual walk-in visits — access to the gardens, chapel, and greenhouse has to be arranged in advance. The estate operates mainly as an exclusive venue for weddings, baptisms, first communions, and conferences, set against a backdrop of century-old woodland and historic stonework. If you're hoping to see it without booking an event, the September Santa Eufemia festival is the most reliable window, since the chapel opens to the public then too.

Bueu itself sits on the Ría de Pontevedra, so a visit here pairs easily with a walk along the town's seafront promenade or a trip to the nearby beaches.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you visit Pazo de Santa Cruz without booking ahead? No — it's a private estate, and entry to the gardens, greenhouse, and chapel requires prior arrangement with the owners, usually tied to a booked event.

Why is it called Pazo de Santa Cruz? Because of an ebony-and-ivory cross on the altar of the 17th-century Santa Ifigenia chapel — it's the cross, not the saint, that gave the estate its name.

What's the estate's main attraction? The 2008 Victorian greenhouse, built from white wood and glass in the style of a 19th-century English orangery, along with the stone terrace overlooking Bueu Bay.

When is the chapel open to the public? Only during the Santa Eufemia festival, held in Bueu in mid-September.