Casa Museo de Rosalía de Castro

Casa Museo de Rosalía de Castro, picture from Wikimedia Commons by Oilisab

The last stage of the Portuguese Way runs from Padrón to the long-awaited Cathedral of Santiago, and there is no better way to start it than with a visit to the Rosalía de Castro House-Museum.

The Casa da Matanza is located on the outskirts of Padrón, on the way to the church of Santa María de Iria Flavia, where the route to Compostela ends. Rosalía de Castro lived in this house between 1882 and 1885, when she died from the cancer that consumed her. The writer had already lived in Padrón, since her mother was from Arretén, but she did not have any property in the municipality. She rented this property with her husband Manuel Murguía and their children.

Currently it has become a museum specializing in the life of the writer, thanks to the action of the Padroado Rosalía de Castro. This association intended to preserve and honor the figure of Rosalía de Castro, and in 1971 managed to restore the property to create a sample of what the author's life was like in the house. It is owned by the Rosalía de Castro Foundation, which continues to promote the same objectives as the Padroado at the time.

What is included in the visit

The House Museum consists of two floors and a farm, respecting the original structure and layout, and all the spaces are dedicated to knowing in depth the life of Rosalía de Castro. The ground floor, called “O Perfil dunha sombra” (A shadow's profile), is distributed between the reception space for visitors and an exhibition to introduce them to the work and importance of the writer.

The first floor, called “O Seu” (Hers), recreates the spaces of the house as they were in the 19th century, when Rosalía lived there with her family. It reproduces the rooms of a rural house, with some elements more typical of the hidalgo lifestyle. In addition to the different spaces (a kitchen with a fireplace, the dining room, bedrooms and a library), different editions of the works of Rosalía de Castro and some personal objects can be seen. The farm that surrounds the property used to be an orchard, and is now cultivated as a garden from the time of the writer.