Manor Houses in Galicia, also called Pazos, are large houses belonging to nobility and built mainly between the 17th and 19th centuries. These Manor Houses are elegant, refined buildings with magnificent gardens that are worth visiting. There are around 900 manor houses throughout Galicia, each with its architectural style and some of them dating back to the 1500s.
Pazo de Mariñán: A Coruña, Spain
Manor Houses are a staple of Galicia’s history. The word Pazo in Galician comes from the latin “palatium” as they are big architectural buildings surrounded by land that belonged to the noblemen in the past. There are around 900 manor houses throughout Galicia, each with its architectural style and some of them dating back to the 1500s.
The origins of Pazo de Mariñán date back to the middle of the XV century and was built by GĂłmez PĂ©rez de las Mariñas, a nobleman in King Juan II court. After being in the family for generations, the last heir donated the state to the Galician Provincial Council in 1936 as he was single and didn’t have any children.
An interesting anecdote from the 1600s: One of the pazo’s noblemen, LuĂs Pimentel de Soutomaior, a man described as having extraordinary strength, tried to murder his wife Ines de Ribadeneira by stabbing her eleven times. She survived by pretending she was dead and spent her last years in a convent.
Today, Pazo de Mariñán is used for institutional activities, it has a workshop center and a museum. You can visit the gardens from 09:00 to 21:00h daily but the interior of the pazo is now closed for renovations. Watch: https://youtu.be/1JMNQ__zEEU
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