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.
Church of Santa María a Nova
References & Further Reading
González Balasch, María Teresa, ed. Tumbo B de la Catedral de Santiago. Santiago de Compostela: Edicios do Castro, 2004. 157-158.
The Church of Santa María a Nova in Noia is a small but striking example of late medieval Gothic architecture in Spain. It was constructed under the authority of Berengar of Landorra, Archbishop of Santiago de Compostela, and consecrated on January 28, 1327.
As you walk around the outside of the church, you’ll notice large tombstones, many dating from the late medieval period. The property’s cemetery contains medieval tombstones with a variety of inscriptions, images, and symbols, sometimes indicating membership in a guild.
There are also tombstones of nobles. These often feature their family heraldry and date from the 14th to the 19th centuries.
The Portal
Santa María a Nova has three portals, two covered with porches. The main portal has a unique sculptural program, depicting the Adoration of the Magi, the Virgin Mary and Christ Child, the founding bishop Berengar, and St. Joseph.
Interior of the Church
There is a chapel dating to 1575 on one side of the church. It features a Plateresque arch and a vault that resembles the famous scallop shells of Santiago de Compostela. Notable figures from late medieval and early modern Noia are buried inside.
Today, one of the most prominent features inside the church is an 18th-century Baroque retable.
You can see a number of tombstones which have been brought inside and displayed. These stones display a variety of marks and images, some with human forms (e.g. denoting a pilgrim) and others bearing the signs of a guild or profession. The tombstone to the right has two footprints inscribed, likely indicating that the deceased was a cobbler.
The golden Baroque retable, while certainly dazzling, was not present at Santa María during the Middle Ages.
References & Further Reading
Primary Sources
Díaz y Díaz, Manuel, et al., ed. and trans. Hechos de Don Berenguel de Landoria, arzobispo de Santiago [Gesta Berengarii]. Santiago de Compostela: University of Santiago de Compostela, 1983. Latin edition with facing translation in Castilian.
Secondary Sources
Soraluce Blond, José Ramón. Cascos históricos de Galicia. La Coruña: Arenas Publicaciones, 2011. 166-168.
Villa-amil y Castro, José. Iglesias gallegas de la Edad Media. Madrid: Imprenta de San Francisco de Sales, 1904.
