The Church of San Fiz de Solovio, located near the iconic Mercado de Abastos in Santiago de Compostela, is one of the oldest churches in the Galician capital.
According to tradition, the hermit Paio, who took refuge in this place to devote himself to contemplation and to do penance, lived there.
The origin of this legend dates back to the year 820, during the reign of Alfonso II and the bishopric of Iria Flavia Teodomiro. The story tells us that the hermit Paio, during a night of prayer, began to see lights pointing to some nearby place. The hermit was guided by these lights and songs of angelic choirs to find the place where the remains of the Apostle Santiago rested.
Historical texts certify the foundation of the temple prior to the 9th century and the church took the name of Lobio, a village near Compostela. The clerics of the temple were closely linked to the tradition and story of the Apostle and, in fact, became part of the community of the Cathedral of Santiago.
However, the building was badly damaged by the Muslim invasions and practically destroyed by Almanzor, chancellor of the Caliphate of Cordoba. Therefore, around the year 1122 and during the bishopric of Diego Xelmírez, the church was rebuilt in its entirety, although it underwent various actions in the future.
At the beginning of the 14th century, the Romanesque temple included the current portico, which houses a relief with a representation of the Epiphany or adoration of the Kings. This work was documented in 1316 and attributed to the master F. Paris.
The interest of the work lies in the fact that the relief still retains much of the original polychromy and joins other representations of the scene present in other temples, such as the chapel of the Corticela (Cathedral of Santiago).
The project, as it is known today, was completed centuries later with the baroque tower, the work of the architect Simón Rodríguez. In the 18th century, an enlargement of the enclosure was carried out and a new bell tower was built, the style of which was much imitated during the following years.
The interior of the temple stands out for the tomb of Cardinal Lopo Gonzalez de Carballido and the image of the Virgin of Miracles and can be visited on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, from 10:30 to 13:00 hours.
