In this entry, we continue the study of the gargoyles of one of the most significant architectural ensembles in Galicia: the Monastery of San Martín Pinario. In the first part, we already examined some of its most astonishing gargoyles and grotesques.
It should be remembered that, although originally a 10th-century Benedictine cenobium, the building was reconstructed at the end of the 16th century and completed in the 18th century. By the end of the 19th century, it had ceased to function as a monastery and is currently the seat of the Major Seminary of the Archdiocese of Santiago, the Instituto Teológico Compostelano, and the Diocesan Archive. Its premises are also used for other purposes, including the University School of Social Work and Theology, a guesthouse, and a venue for cultural activities.
Typologies of the Gargoyles of the Monastery of San Martín Pinario
Although the term “gargoyles” is used throughout this study as a general designation, it should be noted that some of the figures may in fact correspond to chimeras or grotesques, as their position does not allow the presence of a water spout to be verified.
Today we present the remaining gargoyles and grotesques of this magnificent monastery. Once again, we encounter beings of a fantastic nature and exuberant ornamentation. The typological variety is once more remarkable: an astonishing bestiary of mythological beings, monsters, and demons.
Although the figures have been grouped according to the traits and characteristics of each typology, nearly all of them display fantastic and, to some extent, surreal elements, so that they could ultimately be integrated into a single and extraordinary thematic universe.
Gargoyles Representing Real Animals
Among the animals represented are the lion, bird, dog, pig, fish, donkey, goat, and he-goat.
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- Lion
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- Lion
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- Bird
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- Fish
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- Lion
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- Dog
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- Dog
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- Pig
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- Fish
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- Donkey
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- Donkey
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- Goat
He-goat
Gargoyles Representing Animal Monsters
The animal monsters, or hybrids composed of different animal parts, are likewise extraordinary.
Particularly noteworthy are the remarkable vegetal monsters, beings of fantastic appearance characterised by exuberant foliage on their heads and bodies, or by simple and double spirals on wings, body, and nose; some of them even display the appearance of a green man.
Gargoyles Representing Demons
We now turn to the group of figures displaying elements of a demonic nature. Among their characteristics are folds of skin and protuberances on heads and bodies, female breasts, membranous wings, hooves, claws, protruding eyebrows, elongated snouts, fangs, human faces, spiral wings, scales, caruncles, protruding tracheae, horns on the head or nose, frontal crests, coiled serpent tails, double horns, dragon-like bodies, as well as representations of genitalia, tails, bodily deformities, and vegetal-type wings, among many other elements.
The gestures and postures are equally striking and singular. Figures in rampant posture abound, adopting attitudes of attack or assault, alongside seated figures, figures with hands placed in the mouth, protruding tongues, or hands covering the face.
Gargoyles of Exceptional Character
Finally, we encounter two exceptional gargoyles. One of them is a terrifying demon with animal legs, holding with both hands a human face with the appearance of a mask, an unsettling and enigmatic figure. The other is an anthropomorphic being with curly hair, hooves, wings, and bodily protuberances, from whose mouth emerges the snout of a fanged animal.
Another particularly interesting aspect is the resemblance to certain gargoyles of the Monastery of Batalha in Portugal. Although this magnificent Portuguese Gothic building predates San Martín Pinario—its construction began between 1385 and 1388—the bibliography indicates that, for the design of the church of San Martín Pinario, the monks turned to the Portuguese architect Mateus Lopes, who had already worked on other Galician buildings belonging to the Benedictine order. The numerous formal and thematic similarities between the gargoyles of Portugal and Spain—in this case between the monasteries of Batalha and San Martín Pinario, countries linked not only by geographical proximity but also by historical ties—were probably the result of exchanges between masters and itinerant workshops, which transmitted ideas and knowledge among the various professionals and guilds of both territories, even in buildings from later periods.
The carving of the gargoyles is excellent and highly meticulous. As can clearly be observed, these are unique and original gargoyles, filled with ornamental elements; some of them even verge upon horror vacui, a characteristic that may also be observed in the gargoyles of Batalha.
Gargoyles of the Monastery of Batalha (Portugal)
Exuberant, terrifying, grotesque; some display movement, endowing them with dynamism and expressiveness. Surprising, magical, filled with fantasy, with extravagant and unreal forms: an endless number of adjectives would be required to describe them. Moreover, they appear almost “alive”; the fleshy and volumetric quality of certain bodies gives them remarkable plasticity. Above all, however, we are once again confronted with an example of the boundless imagination and creative freedom of the magnificent gargoyle sculptors.
The first entry was more closely devoted to magical beings such as lumias, sirens, and harpies, which for many of us recalled the tales of childhood. With this second part, we once again evoke that universe of fairies, witches, and monsters.
Galicia is a land of meigas, tardos, trasnos, lumias, and mouras; a land of legends, prodigies, and enchantments that permeate its folklore, as well as a land shaped by artistic and historical influences from nearby regions, such as our neighbouring country, Portugal.
Above all, however, Galicia is a land of water. Water that pours from its fascinating gargoyles.
Bibliography
FREIRE NAVAL, A., B., “Aportación documental al estudio de la actividad artística del Monasterio de San Martín Pinario y sus prioratos entre 1501 y 1854”, ADAXE-Revista de Estudios e Experiencias Educativas, 2000, 16, pp. 225-246.
VIGO TRASANCOS, A., “La iglesia monástica de San Martín Pinario en Santiago de Compostela. Proyecto, fábrica y artífices”, Separata de “COMPOSTELLANUM”, Vol. XXXVIII, Números 3-4, 1993, pp. 336-361.
This entry was originally published in December 2020 and updated in May 2026.
Doctor of Art History and researcher specializing in the study of gargoyles.
I am Dolores Herrero Ferrio, and my thesis, “An Approach to the Study of Gargoyles of Gothic Cathedrals in Castilla and León”, is dedicated to the study of these fascinating figures.
If you like gargoyles and art history, you will also enjoy my book, “The Gargoyle and Its Iconography,” a book I have written with great care for those interested in the world of gargoyles.
I have created my own Encyclopedia of Gargoyles, a Gargopedia to share with you, where you will discover all the secrets and wonders of these enigmatic sculptures.
I hope you enjoy this Gargopedia as much as I have enjoyed creating it, and remember that each gargoyle has a story to tell, and here you will discover them all.
