Colexio do Cardeal & the Jesuit Quarter
The Colexio da Nosa Señora da Antiga — universally called the Colexio do Cardeal after its founder, Cardinal Rodrigo de Castro — is one of the most ambitious Renaissance-to-Baroque building complexes in Galicia, and almost nobody outside the province knows it exists. That anonymity is your advantage.
The Architecture
Cardinal Castro began the college in 1593 as a Jesuit school for the nobility, and the scale of ambition is still staggering: a vast church with a single nave, twin towers and an ornate granite portal, flanked by a monumental college building arranged around two large courtyards. The whole ensemble took over a century to complete, which is why you can trace the stylistic shift from sober Renaissance to exuberant Baroque as you walk its length.
Inside the church, a gilded altarpiece and a series of 17th-century paintings command the apse, while the sacristy contains carved wooden furniture of exceptional quality. Entry is free and the custodian — when present — will enthusiastically narrate the building's history in rapid Galego.
The Neighbourhood Around It
The streets immediately around the Colexio form Monforte's most atmospheric quarter: narrow lanes of granite townhouses, a small Romanesque bridge over the Cabe at Rúa do Puente, and the occasional bar where old men play cards in the afternoon shadow. It rewards aimless wandering.
From here it's a five-minute walk to the base of the Parador hill, making the Jesuit quarter the natural starting point for a half-day loop that takes in both monuments and the mirador above.
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