A Pobra do Caramiñal Touring

Don Ramón María del Valle-Inclán, «Lord of Puebla del Caramiñal» —fitting euphonic name and imaginary ancient title that he enjoyed— was one of the most unusual people in Spanish literature.

With his life and works at a reach, the tour Ruta Valle-Inclán will guide us throughout Galicia. If we want to experience don Ramón stay at A Pobra do Caramiñal and Barbanzón county, we will face places he lived, like Colo de Arca and A Mercé houses, villa Eugenia, Ferro hostel, Tato pharmacy, Aguiar & Rábago mansion, Couto palace, Xunqueiras, Amarante, Camarasa & Gasset fortresses, the house of Victoriano García Martí, essayist, on Arenal beach, his name’s viewpoint at A Curota observatory, his sculptures, the alley… and we will meet familiar place names like La Puebla (A Pobra), Santa María del Caramiñal, Santa Cruz, Lesón, Viana, San Lázaro, A Conga, Bealo, Cures, Juno (Xuño), Bretal, Corrubedo, Ruano (Rúa) & Sálvora islands… They are known worldwide thanks to don Ramón’s work.

Tour

1. Colo de Arca
2. Antigo hostal Ferro
3. Casal da Mercé
4. Villa Eugenia
5. Iglesia Antigua del Caramiñal
6. Farmacia de Tato

7. Casa grande de Aguiar
8. Igrexa de Santiago da Pobra
9. Torre de Xunqueiras 
10. Casa de García Martí
11. Busto de Valle-Inclán
12. Xardíns Valle-Inclán 

1. Colo de arca

House close to Virgin forest hermitage. It is a private Chapel, 17th century. It belonged to Saco, Bolaño and Montenegro families, which were noble mother ancestors of D. Ramón del Valle-Inclán. At the turn of the 20th century it became home of Prudencio Otero Sánchez, author of particular subject writings, popular at that time, like Los Fantasmas and España, patria de Colón, debating about Galician roots of the discoverer or America, prologue by Valle. This place is marked by such fiction birth anecdote from D. Ramón. Some past incident from a proud, decadent and sacrilegious Montenegro was remembered by Valle-Inclán in his Galician «Comedias Bárbaras».

2. Ancient Ferro Hostel

It was home to Fonda Ferro, also Vista Alegre, well known hotel business, founded by 1870 por Ramón Ferro Rosende. It was the usual shelter for any outstanding traveller arriving to the place, at the time or sea transport spread, workshop and canning industry. The noteworthy visitors would be interviewed or pictured at that time, amongst them D. Ramón del Valle-Inclán and his wife Dª. Josefina Blanco Tejerina, in 1915 and 1916, for the recovery and rent of A Mercé House. Also Jaime Solá Mestre, at 1917, author of the popular writing En el Olimpo Céltico. Los picos del Barbanza.

3. Casal da Mercé

Originally it was a hermit devoted to the Virgin, which, after promotion during Old Regime times. The Valle-Inclán Blanco family lived here, shifting with professional stay at Madrid, between 1917-1921, after renting and setting up the house and gardens in 1916. It was a time of lord wishes, when he tried to setup a profitable wine and rent land business. This was the peak of his creative production, when he wrote some of his top masterpieces, such as: La pipa de kif, El pasajero, Divinas palabras, Los cuernos de don Friolera, Cara de plata, the first Luces de bohemia... Here two children were born: Carlos Luís Baltasar (1917), future «Marqués de Bradomín», and María de la Encarnación Beatriz Baltasara «Mariquiña» (1919).

4. Villa Eugenia

After his disappointment with the land business and countryside lifestyle at Casal da Mercé, the Valle-Inclán Blanco family moves to Caramiñal village settling down at this place, property of Eugenia Gasset Neyra and Antonio Abal Hermo, who was director of the main Santiago Hospital. They lived here between 1921 y 1925, along with author trips to Madrid and Navarra, when D. Ramón would turn into his best known American transatlantic tour. He wrote at that time books like La rosa de papel, La cabeza del Bautista, Retablo de la avaricia, la lujuria y la muerte, Tirano banderas, the canon version of Luces de bohemia... innovative works of an author that renew the European stage and novel style worldwide. Two more children are born in his family: Jacobo Baltasar Clemente «Jaime» (1922) and Ana María Baltasara (1924).

5. St. Mary Church at Caramiñal

This monument was build along renaissance and baroque periods (16th - 18th cn.) following the design of Juan Pérez, architect and master of Santiago de Compostela. Both at the apse and main façade blazons of… Bolaño, Amarante, Camarasa, familys can be appreciated. They were lords of Caramiñal during the Old Regime. The main chapel preserves one of the best baroque from Santiago area, where an engraving of Archangel St. Michael stands out while fighting a twin head carbon horned demon. This temple was mentioned in the first editions of Mi bisabuelo, a short Galician fiction, later as a part of the Jardín umbrío book.

6. Tato's Pharmacy

This pharmacy was founded in 1903 by Ld. Santiago Tato Castelo, a friend of Valle-Inclán, who shared his walks in Barbanza. A popular debate in spare afternoon used to happen here, in the same fashion as in provincial town sat that time, where D. Ramón was the star of local anecdote together with the local living forces and visitors. People like Andrés Díaz de Rábago, García Martí, Francisco Camba, Vivanco, Penagos, García Sanchiz, Zunzunegui, Luís Galinsoga… This pharmacy is the oldest still working in the county and one of the most ancient around Galicia.

7. Aguiar Mansion · Couto Palace

This is a neoclasic palace «pazo», built around 1800 upon a 16th century tower that is still visible over the roof. This is a privileged site, sharing space with the neighbour pazo do Couto, built around 1710 and restored after historicist design. Both govern the castle «Castelo» historic site, in front of the embarkment that D. Ramón del Valle-Inclán mentions in the book Romance de lobos. A close friendship among Valderrama, Rábago and Valle-Inclán families happened before and after the writer’s own life, the three of them fought together in the «Guerras Carlistas» wars and also shared Galician entrepreneur spirit of the late 19th century.

8. Santiago do Deán Church

This monument is build during several historic and artistic periods, in particular gothic and  renaissance architecture and sculpture from 14th and 15th centuries, which collects outstanding baroque and neoclassic altar pieces, from 18th and 19th centuries. Some of the writer mother ancestors were lords of ancient «pazo de Colo de Arca» and therefore partners of the «capilla de la Transfiguración» chapel or to the Sacro. This was the heart of «Nazareno» Christian local tradition often mentioned in Valle- Inclán works, as sketches of a thaumaturgy Jesus and traditional dressed offerings in Viana fair. It is visible in works like Sonata de otoño, Romance de lobos or Divinas palabras.

9. Xunqueiras · Gasset Tower

This is a National Monument of Historic-Artistic interest. It was a middle age fortress, rebuilt after being assaulted during «Irmandiña» war revolts. It was home to Xunqueiras lineage, relevant at Galician Chronicles. Between 16th and 18th centuries it became a renaissance and baroque style home. At that time it joined «condado de Amarante» county and «marquesado de Camarasa», titles that D. Ramón del Valle-Inclán picked for his characters. At 1898, both land and palace are sold by Medinaceli duke to Rafael Gasset, nationwide politician, who founded El Imparcial newspaper. Valle-Inclán published there important works like Sonata de otoño or La media noche. This is also a fiction place of Marqués de Bradomín adventures.

10. O Areal · García Martí House

This was the birthplace, home and office to D. Victoriano García Martí (1881-1966). He was an admired thinker, heritage protector, essayist and writer, sociologist, member of Real Academia Española, at the Real Academia Galega Section, and an Eminent Son of Pobra do Caramiñal. He produced relevantin sights as De la felicidad. Eternas inquietudes, with a prologue by D. Ramón del Valle-Inclán. He also wrote such singular essays as Rosalía de Castro o el dolor de vivir and Don Quijote y su mejor camino. D. Victoriano always committed to praise his beloved Valle-Inclán: he claims the Galician citizenship of don Ramon.

11. Valle-Inclán Viewpoint

On the way to Curota we can find the popular viewpoints of "Valle-Inclán" (368 m) and A Curotiña (512 m), both declared as National Natural Interest Site in 1933. These natural watch towers allow the most spectacular landscape views from Rías Baixas. An air view of a dream seaside covering both borders of Arousa Sea: Barbanza and Salnés. This was a place that Valle-Inclán liked to visit through a horse way and admire the vast impressive landscape and the remains of a Celtic past. 

At this unmatched environment, his neighborhood celebrated a tribute party in 1919. According to his family will  the first monument to the writer in his country was raised here, after being censored at Pontevedra. It is an outstanding bust sculpted by Benito Prieto Coussent. 

12. Cantón da Leña - Valle-Inclán Gardens

Torre de Bermúdez is a must, as well as Valle-Inclán Museum heritage, but also some urban place like "Cantón da Leña" square, which holds the sculpture monument to D. Ramón. It is a bronze, worth of a world class writer name, by Gonzalo Sánchez Mendizábal (2002). On the other hand, the Barbanza alley, named "Xardíns de Valle-Inclán", a flowered orchard upon a piece of Vilanova de Arousa brought soil. An isolated environment facing the sea, where reading "Cuadro de costumbres marineras", written by Ramón del Valle Bermúdez, father of the artist. 

Depósito Legal C 259-2016 - @Os autores. E Secretaría Xeral de Cultura - XUNTA DE GALICIA