Ourense Attractions

Sights

The pretty little linked Praza da Magdalena is off the main square and has beautiful overhanging buildings and roses. It’s dominated by the cathedral and the Iglesia de Santa María Madre, an attractive Baroque church built from the ruins of the 11th-century original; some Romanesque columns and capitals are preserved.

The main pedestrian streets to stroll down of an evening are the Calle Santo Domingo and the Rúa do Paseo. Fans of cream and brown should check out the latter; at No 30 the Edificio Viacambre looks like a Chinese puzzle-box gone horribly wrong. The cloister of Iglesia de San Francisco is a beautifully harmonious Transitional piece of stonework, although each side has a different number of arches. The double columns are carved with capitals, many vegetal, but some featuring an array of strange beasts.