Church of Santiago de Meilán

About this heritage

Historic temple in Lugo dedicated to Santiago

To learn more

The Church of Santiago de Meilán holds high historical and artistic value within Lugo's heritage.

Its origin dates back to the repopulation period of the 8th century, with documentary references since the year 762.

Initially linked to a monastic community, it was probably promoted by Bishop Odoario, a key figure in the restoration of the Lugo diocese during the Reconquista.

The building preserves elements of its original Romanesque structure, such as the rectangular nave and the semicircular apse. At the end of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th, significant renovations were made incorporating a Baroque façade and a bell tower, restored in 1773.

Particularly notable are the sculpted capitals of the triumphal arch, with vegetal decoration influenced by artists of Hispano-Burgundian descent. The iconographic richness is expanded with a collection of sculpted corbels on the eaves, featuring zoomorphic, anthropomorphic, and obscene representations, typical of medieval moralizing symbolism.

The church also contains significant Jacobean iconography, such as the stone image of Santiago Peregrino, referring to its original dedication, even prior to the discovery of the Apostle's remains in Compostela.