Sculptural complex for Rosalía de Castro

Paseo de la Herradura. 15705
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  • Sculptural complex for Rosalía de Castro

Rosalia de Castro was born in Santiago de Compostela on February 24th 1837 in a house located in the former street Camiño Novo which is now known as Calle Rosalía de Castro.

Although number 4 of Plaza de la Universidad square is known for being the place where Rosalía de Castro and Manuel Murguía lived together, her biography collects many other addresses in Santiago where the writer lived. Thus, it is a fact that between 1851 and 1855 she lived with her mother in the number 6 of Rúa Bautizados and that her first daughter, Alejandra, was born in 1859 in number 1 of Rúa da Conga. Besides, it is also a fact that she lived in Santiago in 1862 before she moved to a flat in the second floor of number 7 in Mercado Vello (currently known as Plaza de la Universidad) and that in 1868 her second daughter, Aura, was born in 40 Rúa Callobre. Her official biography confirms also that from 1878 to 1879 she lived first in 2 Rúa Altamira and then in 9 Rúa do Hórreo.  

Compostela witnessed not only her family life but also many of Rosalia’s theatre performances and it inspired great part of her work.

She died in Padrón in 1885 at the age of 48. On May 25th 1891 her corpse was disinterred and carried solemnly to Santiago, where she was buried the next day in the mausoleum created by the sculptor Jesús Landeira in the chapel of Visitation of the Convent of San Domingos de Bonaval which is nowadays the Panteón de Galegos Ilustres (Pantheon of Illustrate Galician Figures).

In the Paseo da Ferradura in the Alameda Park of Santiago you can find this beautiful statue dedicated to her memory. This statue made of granite was unveiled during the Apostle’s feast in 1917 and its authors were Isidro de Benito and Francisco Crivillés. As well as the writer’s figure, this monument includes also popular characters, soul of her work, and the titles of her best known works: El caballero de las botas azules, Cantares gallegos, En las orillas del Sar, Follas Novas. It also has different memorial plaques of Galician associations that honour her: the Galician Unity of New York dedicated her “a la cantora del pueblo gallego” (to the singer of the Galician people), the Centre Santiago de Compostela de Buenos Aires (1934), la Peña Gallega Manuel María de Santa Fe (1959), the Galician Centre of Puerto Rico (1965) and Cantigas y Agarimos (1971), among others.

The plentiful vegetation and the views of the Cathedral and the Southern Campus of the University make it an idyllic place.

Another important point is that in Plaza de Vigo square there is a stone sculpture to pay homage to Rosalía de Castro.