A Monastery, a Sea of Stories is now available and represents a new opportunity to explore the history of the Monastery of Oia from a renewed perspective.
👉 [More information and purchase]
It will also be available at the Monastery itself during this Easter’s guided tours.
The Monastery of Oia continues to reveal its history through a new publication that explores its past with academic rigour and fresh perspectives: A Monastery, a Sea of Stories.
This book is the result of an extensive research and documentation process developed over more than twenty years, offering readers a unique opportunity to approach one of the most iconic monuments on the Galician coast from a renewed and well-founded perspective.
A book born from years of research
In 2024, the Bretal Foundation inaugurated the exhibition “A Monastery, a Sea of Stories” at the Afundación headquarters in Vigo, a project that made it possible to uncover lesser-known episodes in the history of the Monastery of Oia.
The book now presented brings together the research work that formed the basis of that exhibition. It includes new historical data of significant value, reviewed by an exceptional Scientific Committee, contributing to a broader understanding of the monument and its role throughout the centuries.
A journey through the history of the Monastery
The exhibition—curated by Sarah Barbará—was designed for diverse audiences, combining scientific rigour with an accessible and interactive approach.
Through different exhibition resources, visitors were able to immerse themselves in the monastery’s history:
- Scent stations evoking life within the cenobium
- Reconstructions of spaces such as the cloister
- “Magic boxes” revealing the daily routine of medieval monks
- Participatory and co-creation elements
All structured around three major axes:
- The centuries of monastic life
- The post-monastic period
- “Rebirth”, focused on the current restoration project
A key monument in the history of Galicia
The Monastery of Oia, belonging to the Cistercian Order, is closely linked to some of the most significant historical events in Galicia. Declared a Site of Cultural Interest in 1931, its value goes beyond architecture, connecting deeply with the territory, memory and cultural identity.
The exhibition also highlighted highly significant historical artefacts, many shown to the public for the first time:
- The 1739 Tumbo, a fundamental cartulary of the monastery
- A 17th-century coat of arms
- Original manuscripts and historical documents
- More recent testimonies, such as graffiti made by Republican prisoners during the Spanish Civil War, when the monastery was used as a concentration camp
A project of dissemination and future vision
This initiative forms part of the work led by MARE, owner of the Monastery since 2004, through the Bretal Foundation, with the aim of preserving, researching and disseminating heritage. The book A Monastery, a Sea of Stories represents one more step in this journey: a tool to continue uncovering the monastery’s past, understanding its present and imagining its future.
