Located in Galicia in northwestern Spain, Noia was a busy commercial port town during the Middle Ages. Multiple historic buildings survive in the town, including the Church of San Martín and the Church of Santa María a Nova.
Berengar of Landorra briefly retreated to Noia shortly after his 1317 appointment as Archbishop of Santiago de Compostela, which occasioned a rebellion by the Compostelan townspeople against episcopal lordship over the town. These events are described in the Gesta Berengarii. In July 1320, Berengar convinced Maria de Molina, grandmother and tutor of the young Castilian king Alfonso XI, to grant tax exemptions to the town of Noia. Years later, Berengar was responsible for the construction of Santa Maria a Nova, consecrated on January 28, 1327.
References & Further Reading
González Balasch, María Teresa, ed. Tumbo B de la Catedral de Santiago. Santiago de Compostela: Edicios do Castro, 2004. 157-158.