Santa Cristina de Ribas de Sil Monastery

A Romanesque monastery hidden in a forest of centuries-old chestnuts, the souto de Merilán, on the slope of Parada de Sil, far above the river. It is one of the images of the Ribeira Sacra: the stone church with its openwork rose window, the crenellated tower, what is left of the cloister and the silence of the grove.

Its history

It is a Benedictine monastery originating in the 10th century. It was independent during the Middle Ages, when it was one of the most important in the Ribeira Sacra, and after the 16th-century reform it became a priory of Santo Estevo de Ribas de Sil. The reform of the cloister and the paintings in the church date from that time. The monks lived off chestnuts and vines, and the 19th-century confiscation brought final abandonment.

What to see

The church is Romanesque, from the late 12th or early 13th century, with a Latin-cross plan and three semicircular apses, the central one higher. The façade has an openwork rose window at the top, and the portal, splayed, has three archivolts with zigzag mouldings and capitals with plant motifs. Inside, the nave is covered with a double-pitched wooden roof on pointed arches, and the central apse keeps 16th-century Renaissance wall paintings with the Virgin, Saint John, Saint Dominic, Saint Anthony and Saint Thomas, and above them Saint Lucy and Saint Barbara. In a side chapel there is a Romanesque altar.

Beside the north wall rises the bell tower, defensive in appearance, with battlements and a pyramidal roof. The entrance gate to the precinct, at an angle to the church, bears on the intrados of its arch the symbols of the four evangelists. Of the cloister two galleries remain, with arches from the 16th-century reform. Before going you can see the 360-degree virtual tour linked by Turismo Ribeira Sacra.

Hours, entry and booking

For the period from 13 October to 8 December 2026 it opens Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 17:00; on Mondays it is closed. Visits are suspended from 9 December 2026 until March 2027. In spring and in September the hours change (mornings and afternoons at weekends), so check the calendar on the website before going. Entry costs €2 and is free for under-14s, official guides, holders of the Carné Xove, residents of Parada de Sil and people with reduced mobility. Book at turismo.ribeirasacra.org because capacity is limited. Information on 689 683 713.

Getting there

By car, along the road that leaves next to the Parada de Sil town hall: about ten minutes. There is parking, toilets and wifi. At Easter (Thursday to Sunday) and from 1 July to 13 September access is by shuttle bus only, booked together with the ticket; and since 2026 you cannot drive up in a private car outside opening hours.

From the water you see it at the end of the Provincial Council catamaran from Ponte do Sil, and on foot the PR-G 98 route reaches it from Parada de Sil. Very close are the Balcones de Madrid, the canyon's best-known viewpoint.