Pazo do Monte (Mansion on the Hill)

Located on the edge of the Ferrol parish of Santa Cecilia de Trasancos and its neighbouring San Pedro de Leixa parish, the Pazo de Monte is one of very few rural Galician mansions or noble houses that follow a strictly neoclassical architecture. Here, the visitor can soak up the unique atmosphere that these old aristocratic mansions exude, where time seems to stand still among heraldic stone and the colourful gardens that invite rest and stimulate the senses. It was built during the town planning period of neoclassical Ferrol and its construction was undertaken by the illustrious Mr. José María Bermúdez de Mandía y Pardiñas Villardefrancos (1728 – 1808), who was lord of the adjoining territorial properties of Xuvia, Caranza and Santa Cecilia de Trasancos, and permanent council member and honorary arbitration judge in the town of Ferrol, by order of the King. In 1780, the mansion was completed with a front garden, granaries, a fountain and vegetable patches. Particularly notable among these elements is the impressive granary of 29 metres in length and the 18th century flower beds. Also of note is the old oak forest near the mansion which was planted in the third quarter of the 18th century and destined to be used for shipbuilding in the Ferrol shipyards. Today it is much smaller than its original extension. The mansion can not be fully understood without making a brief reference to its twin building in Ferrol: El Pazo de la Merced or Bermúdez House, located in the old town.

This building which also had a neoclassical style, was erected by the aforementioned José María Bermúdez on an old plot of land from his noble paternal lineage, the Mandiá family, who had been councillors and mayors of the town of Ferrol since early medieval times. However, this house and its adjoining chapel, which was dedicated to “Merced” (Mercy) in 1811, was sold in the 1940s and subsequently dismantled piece by piece. The only remnants are some pieces of furniture which are kept in the Pazo do Monte today, as well as archived documents and photos and the toponym which refers to it on local maps.