Enclosure of the Convent of São Paio

The convent is an isolated place, perched on top of the Monte da Pena, between large boulders, overlooking the valley of the river Minho. Founded in 1392, intended for a community of observant Franciscans, it occupies a site where there was already a hermitage dedicated to S. Paio. In the 1960s, the sculptor José Rodrigues (1936-2016) found the place in ruin. He acquired it and today the convent offers a museum of sacred art and works by the sculptor. The enclosure- -sanctuary-museum is above all a strongly impressive stage for the sculptor’s works.