Area Sections
Soutomaior
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Soutomaior Soutomaior, placed near the ria of Vigo. It has an approximate extension of 25 square kilometres, and it is made up by two parishes: a coastal one, Arcade, and an interior one, Soutomaior. Most part of the history of this township has to do with the castle and the family of Soutomaior. The Castle of Soutomaior is placed in a privileged place due to the wide scenery you can see. The original construction dates from the 12th century, although it will be with Pedro Madruga with whom it will achieve the biggest splendor because it was the centre of the political activity in the south of Galicia during the 15th century. But this is not the typical inaccessible castle built in the high rocks of difficult climbing. To the west and north, there are some rocks and some slopes, to the east and south, the land is flat and you can easily get to the defensive walls. At the end of the 19th century, the castle is under the domain of the marquis of Vega de Armixo, who transforms it in a summer residence; it will suffer several changes like the neo-gothic construction of the 'Ladies Gallery'. After several posterior changes and the abandon of the construction, it passed to the propriety of the county council of Pontevedra in 1982. Today, you can visit it and it is the frequent setting of artistic expositions, conferences and courses. The exterior wall is defensive, it has an oval irregular floor, which is adapted to the rocks of the land. Outside it there are nice gardens with rich, varied and centenary flora: a square surrounded by bananas, an avenue of hydrangeas and a beautiful and varied collection of camellias. There are also chestnut trees of eight hundred years. In the high part of the land we can see the Chapel of San Caetano, where there is a popular festival each year in the month of August.
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