The Monastery of Armenteira, historic inspiration for Pazo Cilleiro

In the heart of Rías Baixas, very close to the Atlantic Ocean and protected by Mount Castrove, lies the quaint Romanesque monastery of Santa María de Armenteira. Its long history, the natural beauty of its surroundings and its medieval architecture "the beautiful rose window, the tranquil cloister" served as an inspiration to create the brand and image of our Pazo Cilleiro Albariño.

The origins of Armenteira are surrounded by numerous legends, which were even written about by King Alfonso X in the Cantigas poems. It is known that in the second half of the 12th century, Cistersian monks settled in this small valley traversed by several water ways. It was on this spot where they erected the austere church that we can admire now.

Since the early days, the monks had to carry out many farming and livestock raising activities. The very name of the monastery could refer to "armentar", an ancient verb which means to herd cattle. such meaning would certainly make sense: since time immemorial Mount Castrove has been home to herds of horses and every August its summit hosts an ancient festival called "rapa das bestas" in which the horses? manes are trimmed.

Furthermore, we can imagine Armenteira's key role in the development of vineyards in Val do Salnés. The Cistersian order, deeply associated with the expansion of viticulture in Europe during the Middle Ages, found here optimum conditions for wine growing and wine making. The monk in charge of food and wine supplies, called cantinero or cillerero, held a prominent position in the running of the monastery. This word was the inspiration behind the brand 'cilleiro', with obvious Galician reminiscences. Meanwhile, the visual identity echoes a combination of ancient Celtic symbols found in this area as well as Romanesque architecture elements which are characteristic of the Armenteira buildings.

Nowadays Armenteira is inhabited again. Since 1989, a group of Cistersian nuns have revived the monastery and run a hostelry, an excellent lodging choice to discover Rías Baixas at a leisurely pace.

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