Igrexa Santa María Nai

"Its façade, of a restrained Baroque style (18th century), does not reveal the importance of this medieval church, located on what was most likely the site of the old cathedral of Ourense, of which only a few columns and marble-like capitals remain, preserved in the current façade and originating from the 5th or 6th century. We know from an inscription on one side that the church was rebuilt in 1084 after its devastation, and again in 1772. The church cannot be understood without the monumental staircase that leads to it, and which connects the secluded Plaza de la Magdalena with the Plaza Mayor. Inside, the Churrigueresque style altarpiece stands out, made of wood in its natural colour, which houses in its centre the image of Santa María Madre, patron saint of the tailors' guild, from the 16th century. It is carried out in a procession on Holy Saturday, traditionally led by tailors, and also on Easter Sunday, when it takes part in the so-called "Ceremony of the Desplante", a curious rite that evokes the conflicts that for years pitted the bishopric and the municipal corporation against each other in the city."