Inside the City Wall

Group of historic urban quarters and declared as such on 22 February 1973.

In Lugo you cannot help walking over monuments from Roman times and reliving the same steps. A walk along the Walls of this two thousand year old city is a must. Dating from the 3rd century AD, the walls form a 2,200 metre perimeter, with over 70 towers, at an average height of 10 metres, from which you can witness life on both sides of the wall. The original four gates have been supplemented by additional gates giving a total of 10 gates today in order to avoid creating a divide which in many places gave rise to the wall´s collapse, which is protected and declared as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

There are other examples of Roman foundations, such as the Termas which may be visited at the spa on the banks of the river Miño; or a bit further away, the Santa Eulalia de Bóveda Archaeological Site, a small, partially buried building with rare pictorial decoration.

The main monuments are located within the walls. Firstly there is the Catedral. The most interesting elements are the north door, through which the pilgrims from the Camino de Santiago,  entered, according to tradition, and the Baroque Chapels of San Froilán, patron saint of the city, and Virxe dos Ollos Grandes. Additionally, the high altar deserves close attention, where the Santísimo Sacramento is permanently displayed due to a strange Christian privilege. The building located in front of the cathedral, on a higher level, is the Pazo Episcopal.

The Museo Provincial which houses the city´s oldest discoveries in Galicia, is located in the old Convento de San Francisco. Among its other collections, it displays the luxurious mosaics salvaged from the city´s basements.

The Praza Maior is one of the centres of urban life with the stunning Municipal Palace, overlooking it, but there are also other important buildings, such as the Circle of the Arts. The square is a good place from which one can enter or exit the bustling web of streets and squares of the old town, some with cosy arcades, such as the Praza do Campo.

 

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