San Pedro: church and trees
San Pedro: church and trees
The church of São Pedro, in the same historic center of Bande, was built in the 18th century. It is in the Baroque style, but despite this, it has simple walls and little decoration. Its floor plan is of a Latin cross, with robust walls. The roofs use different types of vaults: barrel vault and cross vault. Inside, you can see different baroque altars and altarpieces.
From the outside, it is bordered by the rectory, where you can see a coat of arms that refers to the church belonging to the monastery of San Salvador de Celanova. Both buildings are accompanied by centuries-old oak trees. All three are listed in the Catalog of Unique Trees (senlleiras) of Galicia due to their characteristics. Its heights vary from 13´40m; 15m and 16’90m., with perimeters between 3’75m and 5’50m. They are estimated to be between 200 and 300 years old.
Location
Legends / Linked Stories
The three oaks have their own legend. It is said that they were planted by monks to teach the locals the best time to grow different products. It is said that when the middle oak blossoms it is time to plant the potatoes. In two weeks, the northernmost one will bloom and it will be time to sow the corn. And finally, the southern oak will warn us to plant the beans.
Information of interest
The square where we can find this peculiar set was arranged at the beginning of the present century. We also see a fountain and a cruise ship. A wide range of shops and restaurants can be found nearby.
Access is free. To visit the interior of the church, the opening hours of the services must be taken into account.
More information is available:
– On the website of the Gerês – Xurés cross-border Biosphere Reserve (RBTGX): https://www.reservabiosferageresxures.eu/en
– On the Portas do Xurés website (Rede of Portas da Parte Galega da RBTGX): http://portasxures.es/index.php/gl/
Bibliography
Catálogo de árvores únicas. Documento “Árbores con historia. Ruta Ourense Occidental”. Xunta de Galicia, Consellería de Medio Ambiente, Territorio e Vivenda.