Oia. Historical Center. The Arrabal Neighborhood

About this heritage

Created under the protection of the monastery of "Santa María de Oia," the Arrabal neighborhood is a small town in the Pontevedra province on the southern coast of Galicia. Everyone can see the numerous examples of its rich past, such as the exceptional historical and ethnographic value of its neighborhood, where visitors can contemplate a variety of traditional Galician buildings. It is a place to rest or relax and enjoy the local gastronomy.

Two stages of the Coastal Way to Saint James pass through its streets, making it an obligatory stop.

Visitors can complement the trip by touring to the foot of the Monastery of Santa Maria de Oia and to Oia Port, from where, if the tide is low, everyone can appreciate how a fish trap called "camboa" made by the monks worked.

It is highly recommended to make the walk from the Monastery of Oia to Orelluda Point, through which everyone can enjoy a tour between farms and small coves. As a curiosity, one can appreciate an old building with the inscription "Casa de la Culpa, 1810" ("House of Blame, 1810"), for being a place where the locals held those guilty of different crimes.

The Oia County has a population of approximately 3000 inhabitants and offers its visitors eighteen kilometers of coast. It has many hotels and restaurants, where one can taste the products of the area.

To learn more

The history of "Santa Maria de Oia" is intimately linked to that of its Monastery. The first written reference about Oia dates back to the year 1137, citing the privileged granting made by King Alfonso VII to the Abbot of the Monastery, Don Pedro. The king awarded him with half of the churches of Erizana (name of the current Baiona) and A Guarda, as well as all those of O Rosal, Loureza, Burgueira, Pedornes, and Mougás.

There are stories about pirate attacks, looting, and expulsions, and others about times of splendor. Throughout history, the Monastery has suffered several changes of ownership.

Portuguese Jesuits rented the monastery to establish a school, restoring the complex in 1932 for that purpose, after which the government of the Republic expelled them from Spain and nationalized all their goods.

It is known that the stones of the set have served many in the construction of their private houses in the Arrabal district, a nucleus of the population that arose under the Monastery's protection.

During the civil war, the Monastery functioned as a prison, mainly for Catalan prisoners, shown by graphic testimonies on the chapel walls.

On the other hand, to the historical wealth of the set formed by the Monastery and the Arrabal neighborhood, it is significant to add that two stages of the Coastal Portuguese Way of Saint James pass through its streets. The first is the Oia-Baiona stage, which is 18.7 kilometers long and considered of low difficulty with an estimated duration of 3.45 hours. Participants leave Oia and continue the way following the foot of the cliffs to Baiona.

The second is the Oia- Silleiro stage, which is 14 kilometers long and considered of low difficulty with an estimated duration of 2.50 hours. Participants leave Oia and continue the way following the foot of the cliffs and passing near the lighthouse of Silleiro Cape.

To know it better

Near the Monastery of Santa María de Oia, it grew the nucleus of the Arrabal neighborhood. This zone is formed by houses of seafaring style, with flowery balconies, and small bars that cause the tourists to stay and walk to enjoy the district. In the Centinela (Watchman) square, everyone can appreciate a viewpoint to the port and the monastery, which preserves a traditional Galicial Stone Cross.

The neighborhood offers different activities and workshops to Oia residents. For example, dance or theatre sessions, whose students, after some months of preparation, show to their neighbors in a final representation.

The Oia Town Hall is between Baiona and A Guarda, in the Pontevedra province. Many years ago, a monastery was built with its big church just a few meters from the sea. Dedicated to Santa Maria, it became the main monument of the town.