Oia : an Abbot’s tombstone of Santa Maria de Oia

An ACAMO (Association of Friends of the Monastery of Oia) member, Lorena González, discovered the piece by chance in an old barn near of the abbey. The experts identified the abbot staff, typical of the iconography of the Cistercian abbeys. The first studies reveal that it is perhaps a medieval stone, from the 14th century (we can read this date : E M CCC XV). The splendor of the Monastery finished in the 19th century, with the Confiscation of Minister Mendizábal in 1836 and the cisterciense community was forced to leave the Monastery and the State auctions all, except the church that was kept for the village. Then it was rented it to the Portuguese Jesuits in 1.910 who implanted a prestigious school, but the State expelled them in 1932 and gave the administration to the Mayor of Oia. This is one of the worse moments for the abbey in which many pieces disappeared. We expect more information when expert finish the studies. More info: www.monasteriodeoia.com.