The museum – art gallery.- It is located in a place which was built in 1699 for the sacristy of the Church. It is well preserved and it has a great architectural beauty. Several paintings, personal objects of the Cardinal and some interesting books are conserved here. The paintings come from other premises of this building, mainly from the church. Some of them were identified, cleaned and restored by the Prado Museum, not many years ago.
Paintings.-
Two of them are from El Greco (Doménikos Theotokopoulos).
“San Lorenzo“, It´s entitled as “Apparition of
the Virgin and Child to San Lorenzo”. It belongs to the first period of the
painter (1576-79) with Italian influences of Tintoretto and Correggio.
According to Camón Aznar, It predates the famous “Entierro del Conde Orgaz”
(Toledo) and it is one of the most select paintings of his painting; It highlights,
especially, the dalmatic of the Holy Deacon.
“San Francisco“, It´s entitled as “San
Francisco de Asís and Fray León meditating on death”. Authentic by El Greco
according to Cossío, who dates it between 1594-1604. Mayer and Camón Aznar date
it between 1590 and 1598. It has an inscription with the painter’s name.
Five paintings by Andrea del Sarto: Santa Margarita de Cortona, the penitent. Santa Ines, a twelve-year-old girl, martyred in 304, with her symbolic lamb, the origin of her name. Saint Catherine of Alexandria, patron saint of the philosophers, martyr at 18 years old. Saint Peter, father of the Church, It has a total perfection. San Juan Bautista, which has a great beauty in color and figure. These last two are replicas of others located in the Pisa Cathedral.
- Two paintings, on both sides of the door are attributed to Giovani Bernardino Azzolino. The anatomical construction of bodies is striking. They are titled: Death and the Final Judgment.
- Portrait of Cardinal Rodrigo de Castro, which is life-sized and by unknown author, it was created for this school in the XVII century, according to a drawing of Francisco Pacheco who was Velázquez´s father-in-law.
- Immaculate of Gregorio Fernandez School, it is located in the middle of the Art Gallery.
Immaculate of Gregorio Fernandez School,
Showcases
- Glove of Cardinal Rodrigo de Castro. Gold Medal of Monforte de Lemos City.
- Collection of prehistoric pieces which were donated by Fr. Javier Agudo, Priest.
- Immaculate of Gregorio Fernández school. The precious polychromy of the mantle is striking.
- Book which contains the notarial copies of the Cardinal´s testament and of the XII Countess of Lemos, Mrs. Rosa María de Castro.
- Triptych or Sacras which was used by the Cardinal while preaching, there is a Canon of the Mass written on parchment inside.
- The Saint Christ, who presided over the Eucharistic celebration of the Cardinal, has an ebony cross and pedestal. The image, that was cut in ivory, was stolen by the Napoleonic troops, as well as several reliquaries. The current image is made of terracotta.
- An incunabulum, The Chronicles of kings of Aragon, Chronicles of kings of Castile and a typical edition of Lucio Anneo Séneca tragicomedias. There are books that belonged to the Cardinal’s library, such as the Book of Falconry which is a manuscript, of 1386 without the initials of the chapters “by the chancellor Pedro López de Ayala.