"Construction of the Santa María de Oia Monastery, the municipality's main monument, began in the mid-12th century, during the reign of Galician King Alfonso VII. Within its walls gathered monks who previously lived in various parts of the region. In 1185 it joined the Cistercian Order. It has Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque elements, resulting from the different reforms and modifications carried out until the late 18th century. The church has three naves laid out in a Latin Cross design. The choir is 17th century, and the facade is in late-18th century Baroque style.
Thanks to its strategic location (right beside the sea), Santa María de Oia played an important role in defending the coast. In 1624 the monks managed to thwart an attack by the Turkish fleet, for which Philip IV granted the monastery the right to use "Royal" in its name. Following the 1835 Disentailment Act it passed into private hands, although the church serves as parish church."
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The town of Oia is located in a straight coast, similar to the Portuguese coast, and different from the rest of the Galician coast to the north. In this town, we find the Monastery of Oia, close to the sea, which has witnessed many battles to defend the town against the pirates’ attack. This place may have been chosen by the monks as the opposite to calmness; as a metaphor of God’s fury against sin, symbolised by the giant waves.
According to some references, the Monastery of Oia was founded in the early 10th century. The periods of economic growth were followed by periods of decadence, as a consequence of a decline in trade and the wars against Portugal, in the 17th century, the poor harvest and mismanagement of some abbots, especially at the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century, shortly before the Spanish confiscation and expelling of the monks from the monastery.
In the beginning of the 20th century, at the end of the Portuguese monarchy and after having expelled the Portuguese Jesuit monks, the monastery became their residence and they founded a school. During the Second Spanish Republic, the Jesuits were expelled. In the inside of the church the ribbed vaults, which are richly decorated with filigree, stand out.
One of the monastery's cloisters is a masterpiece of stonework, with semi-circular arches leading to the central courtyard and ribbed vaults that start from elegant corbels. Today the monastery and its premises belong to private owners. The monastery was declared National Monument on 3 June 1931.
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