O Rial is, with no doubt, the most significant pazo of those located in Vilaxoan. Its structure is similar to that found in the adjacent pazo of Sobran: a stately home flanked by two towers. However, the former shows a more harmonic structure. O Rial was constructed in the 17th century – probably over the remains of a previous medieval construction- by the Mariño de Lobera family, one of the most significant lineages of Galicia.
One descendant of this family, Pedro Mariño, got married to Clara de Caamaño, García de Caamaño’s granddaughter, founder of Vilagarcía. In 1855 as a result of the dispute over the succession of Rubiáns, both pazos were once again linked, now by the Ozores family, also descendants of the Caamaño line-age.
O Rial embodies the typical features of a pazo: it is located on the highest peak to domain its territories, it has a rectangular plan with two towers and its architectural elements make the construction very har-monic: battlements, moulded cornices, balconies, gargoyles, and its large chimneys contribute to high-lighting this manor house. To the left, the chapel impedes the total vision of the buildings and further away there is a pigeon loft.
O Rial desplays several coats of arms making reference to the families who owned it – Ozones, So-tomayor, Sarmiento…- but none of them stand out so much as the Mariño de Lobera’s coats of arms and its distinctive symbols: the mythological Siren, the waves, the wolves and the star.
From the beginning of the 20th century, O Rial was abandoned, and later on, in the 70s, was sold in order to be transformed into a hotel, which is still in use nowadays. The new renovated pazo became as splendorous as it used to be and regarded as one of the most beautiful pazos of Galicia. However, these transformations distorted the building with respect to the original construction since its rear façade was expanded in order to host a greater number of rooms.
Address: Avenida Vilanova, Nº 117. 36600 – Vilagarcía de Arousa.
Web: www.pazorial.es
E-mail: info@pazorial.es
Phone: 986 50 70 11.
Visits: 4-starred Hotel-pazo
