The headquarters of the
Museum of the Galician People
is located in the building of the former convent of San Domingos de Bonaval, on a hill outside the walls of the historic city.
In fact, it is located next to the road by which pilgrims used to reach Compostela and close to the San Domingos de Bonaval park and other cultural facilities, such as the Centro Galego de Arte Contemporánea (CGAC).
This institution is the first in the autonomous community that tried to embrace and relate the diversity of human manifestations from an anthropological point of view. Thus, it was dedicated to the collection, conservation and study of the vestiges of spiritual and material culture in order to contribute to their knowledge and dissemination.
The museum’s collection offers a tour of the most important pieces of Galician culture from an ethnographic point of view, such as the trades of the sea, traditional work, the rural environment, architecture or clothing and social style.
The calendar of activities of the Museo do Pobo Galego includes temporary exhibitions, as well as permanent exhibitions and sections dedicated to sculpture, painting and archaeology. It also has an auditorium, audiovisual room and several meeting rooms.
The building was inaugurated in 1977, in a building donated by the Concello de Santiago de Compostela, and it reflects part of the witness and philosophy of the Seminario de Estudos Galegos (Seminary of Galician Studies).
In 1993, it was recognized by the Xunta with the competence to act as a synthesizing center of all museums and public and private collections of the Galician system of museums dedicated to the study, promotion and dissemination of historical and anthropological heritage of Galicia.
Among its services, it is worth mentioning the library that preserves collections of Xaquín Lorenzo, Xesús Taboada Chivite, Antón Fraguas Fraguas, Antonio Rodríguez Fraiz or Manuel Beiras García, together with a graphic and documentary archive with pieces from different political, trade union and social entities, and contributions from companies and individuals.
The convent was founded in the 13th century by Santo Domingo de Guzmán and rebuilt in baroque style in the 17th and 18th centuries. The most notable part of the complex was designed by the architect Domingo de Andrade.
The church, in Gothic style, underwent several reforms and additions until the sixteenth century and houses the Pantheon of Illustrious Galicians, in which lie the remains of icons of Galician history as Rosalía de Castro, Alfredo Brañas, Francisco Asorey, Ramón Cabanillas, Domingo Fontán or Alfonso Rodríguez Castelao.
Visiting hours are from Tuesday to Saturday from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm and Sundays and holidays from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm.
