Puntos de Interés
Municipality
Montovo
Montovo is a hamlet of Belmonte de Miranda located 13 km from the parish capital.
According to historical documents, Mount Obio was named after this place.
The remains of the ruins of a late medieval tower and lintel, which seem to have been part of a fortress-house, can be found in the municipality.
In the village there is also a hórreo (granary on stilts), now in ruins, in the Villaviciosa or medieval tradition. A hórreo is a structure used to conserve food, keeping it away from humidity.
In the vicinity of the municipality there are numerous brañas, which are seasonal pastures where cattle graze, including La Mesmalina, Chagos, Los Fuexos, etc.
To the west of the municipality runs the Reguero Teixéu, while to the east runs the 7.9 km long Montovo River. The latter is one of the main tributaries of the Pigüeña River.
The village church is dedicated to Saint John, and it preserves a baroque altarpiece and medieval carvings. Next to the church, there is an ancient yew tree, and the complex has been declared an Asset of Cultural Interest.
The Montovo yew tree, as this particular specimen is called, was planted in 1721 and the diameter of its trunk is currently three metres.
The first written reference to this church dates from 1236.
This building is made up of a single rectangular nave with a mosaic and two side chapels dedicated to San Anthony of Padua and Our Lady of the Rosary. A chapterhouse was later added to the façade from which the cemetery is accessed, as well as a sacristy on the northeast side of the apse.
The church's liturgical objects include a gilded tabernacle that occupies one of the niches of the main altar and a collection plate that is placed on the altar of the chapel of Our Lady of the Rosary, decorated with a painting of Jesus and the carving of two angels.
On around 24th June, the festivities in honour of Saint John are held in Montovo.