College of Our Lady of Antigua

The College of Our Lady of Antigua is located in the town of Monforte de Lemos (Lugo, Spain), in the Ribeira Sacra. Built in the Herreriano, the school of Our Lady of Antigua is often known as El Escorial of Galicia, being of the few manifestations of this style in this community.

It s forever linked to the figure of its founder, Cardinal Rodrigo de Castro, perhaps the last great ecclesiastical prince of the Renaissance in Spain, Archbishop of Seville and great benefactor of Monforte as well as patron of the arts.

The college was a Seminary until 1773 and later a University, displaying up to seven chairs in a time when it was not yet established in the province. Originally run by the Jesuits, their order was expelled from Spain, through the Pragmatic Sanction of 1767 led to the elimination of any existing symbol to remember their existence in the country.

Rodrigo de Castro, praying statue, by John of Bologna

Heritage

The church has an impressive altar of wood, carved by Francisco de Moure, which could not be completed in his life and was completed by his son. On one side of the altar, it is possible to observe a praying statue of Cardinal Rodrigo de Castro, created by John of Bologna, and highly regarded for its perfection and uniqueness. The statue, located on the remains of Cardinal, is confronted with a picture of Our Lady of Antigua. It was found that behind the painting was another tomb, and various studies revealed that it was the mother of the Cardinal.

The school has two cloisters, and appears to be incomplete in its west wing. It also has an important art gallery, which highlights several Greco. Foremost among these is a masterly Francis of Assisi, which seems to wonder about life and death while holding a skull. According to critics and experts, it is a work of such high quality that matches or even exceeds that of the known works of the artist, constituting one of the crowning achievements of El Greco.

Francis of Assisi, the work of El Greco.

The San Lorenzo (Lawrence of Rome) is also a very popular work, being one of the few devotional paintings done by the painter on his arrival in Toledo, where it was purchased by Rodrigo de Castro during his time in the Inquisition. Other works include five works of the painter Mannerist Andrea del Sarto, "St. Margaret of Cortona", "St. Agnes", "St. Catherine of Alexandria", "San Pedro" and "San Juan Bautista". The painting "The Adoration of the Magi" by Van der Goes is only a copy, since the original was sold in 1913 to Staatliche Museen in Berlin for one million two hundred thousand pesetas allowing completion of the works of the school. The gallery is complete with two works by the School of Compostela, "Death" and "Doomsday", and an anonymous portrait of Cardinal Rodrigo de Castro. The museum also has several incunabula and manuscripts, among them an incomplete copy of "Libro de la Caza de las Aves" ("Book of Bird Hunting"), a treatise on falconry by Pedro López de Ayala which he authored during his captivity in Portugal, as well as personal belongings of the cardinal.

It should be noted also the monumental staircase, built from 1594 to 1603, is located in the east wing, and its design is particularly interesting because it is built on three arches, without apparent support, that support thirteen, nine thirteen steps each. The ladder is held because of a carefully calculated play of forces. Their steps are also worthy of note to be carved from a single piece of granite of high quality. On the ground you can see the drawing of the projection of the staircase, drawn for its construction.

Coordinates: 42°31′6″N 7°31′1″W / 42.51833°N 7.51694°W / 42.51833; -7.51694