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The Monastery of Santa María is located in the centre of the Conxo neighbourhood. According to tradition, it was founded by a woman called Rusuida as a worthy resting place for her husband, who was murdered while travelling along the Way of St. James. However, historical documents attribute the foundation to Archbishop Xelmírez, in order to house a community of nuns.
The Romanesque cloister from the time of its 12th-century foundation still has two of its original wings, on which we can read the foundation inscription of the year 1159. The nuns that inhabited it moved to the Monastery of Antealtares in the 15th century. It was subsequently inhabited by Mercedarian monks. In the 19th century, after the congregation moved to Poio, it housed the Provincial Psychiatric Sanatorium. It has been a Psychiatric Hospital belonging to the public health system since 1993. It is possible to visit the Romanesque cloister by requesting permission at the Sanatorium's reception.
The present-day church, designed by González de Araujo, dates from the 17th century. It houses a baroque altarpiece with images of great value, including Cregorio Fernández's crucified Christ, a very realist image. The doorway, designed by Clemente Fernández Sarela, is from the 18th century.