In the town of A Merca you can see the highest concentration of granaries in Spain, with 35 specimens and the second in Europe, after Lindoso, in Portugal, which has 62 baskets. In the Ourense municipality of Terra de Celanova, this group formed by municipal decision several years ago, so that the granaries would not interfere with the paving of streets and improvement of squares, is a source of pride for its neighbors, although some do not understand so much interest.
The granaries are aligned on a slope that allows perfect aeration. They were restored a little over a decade ago and it is possible that they will benefit from the aid that the Department of Culture has approved for the improvement of the ethnographic heritage.
«Eu vexo that there is a lack of interest in the restoration and conservation of these elements. We are a European reserve in graneiros and they are abandoned », complains Xosé Arturo Fernández Araújo, a great connoisseur of the world of the granary and author of numerous reproductions. "You go to see the granaries and schoolchildren and you see that the raptors hallucinate when you explain their structure, design and function to them."
Wood
In A Merca all the granaries are made of wood except for two, which are mixed. To find out about the age of each specimen, Arturo gives a key. "Be a portiña have nails of ferreiro I mean that or hórreo ou canastro is older," he points out.
In Galicia there are other important but smaller concentrations. This is the case of Avión, with 29 granaries in Barroso or the famous ones in Combarro, facing the sea, which add up to 30 granaries. In Quins (Melon), there are about 15.
The ethnographer Manuel Caamaño says that it is curious that foreign researchers began the study of our granaries. Castelao even asked that the hórreo be studied with dignity by Galician authors.
The oldest reference to the granary in the Iberian Peninsula takes us to the 1st century BC. Plinio, Marco Terence or Vitruvius speak of them. They are also seen in the illustrations of the Cantigas de Santa María. In the province of Ourensese, reference is made to the granary in a document given in the Cistercian monastery of Montederramo in the year 1114 by which Alfonso VII donates land and mentions the celeiro.
Supports
The whisper of the wind between the gaps in the ocher wooden walls is suggestive in A Merca. Its granaries, witnesses of a more rural and lively past. «When they restored everything or apoiouno world, there will be more dunha decade. Or the only one that now cannot move from the place, ”says benign Arce, who inherited a granary from his mother. «It was a ben feita work because when you visit ecántalles tourists. O meu é da paternal home but it is here with the rest. They are for decoration, ”he adds, although he remembers that they could use a new touch-up.
Each basket belonged to its neighbor «and they were postos pole pobo adiante and to pluck the praciñas, lift them up so that I can see you. A Xunta dera unha axuda and prepare us all. Europe gave a little to a neighbor to put in a million. They are there and do not bother anyone ». The granaries are declared a Site of Cultural Interest. Neighbors were asked for permission to restore them and Rosendo Luis Fernández, a local doctor, said that there was a neighbor who opposed the restoration of his granary "because he did not understand that they could do it for nothing." At last he gave it up.
The granaries have been concentrated since the 70s of the 20th century. Today they are a postcard. Abel Saga was a mayor when the restoration was carried out: «This at the time was a major blow. Enough millions were spent putting them where they are and they are a focus of attraction. The area was renovated, social housing, a small park and an area were built to recover the old fair. It was a beautiful performance and a lot of people come to see them.
«I dye a basket there, yes, each neighbor we dye one. Where it gets stuck, it is worse than it was. Come moita xente and ask where we are afraid of the granaries. For us it is a pride. Polo less is not left ravaged ", says José González. Another neighbor, Ramón Rodríguez, is also proud to see this unique concentration in the town: «Visits have moitas, a beautiful concentration or what happens and they ravaged or shed because they fixed a track, a park and houses. The baskets are now somewhat agouchados ».
Corn storage
There are up to 28 names in Galicia to refer to the hórreo, which is the best known word. Here are rooms specialized in corn storage to preserve and dry it.
In Terra de Celanova and in A Limia there are wooden ones, they are located near the house, in a high place and the groups are located near the village. In Cea there is the curiosity of seeing a granary on an adjective construction. The supports or feet of these popular constructions mark the legal character of the land they occupy.
In the case of A Merca, they form a beautiful, ocher and reddish picture on the green slope. They are not denatured but in a quiet environment that is sometimes disturbed by the arrival of visitors who come to see them for the pleasure of knowing our ethnography.
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