The Pazo de Tor is one of the must-visit museums in our municipality. The Pazo is located in the parish of San Xoán de Tor, 8 kilometers from the city of Cabe. Its origins date back to the 14th century and the Garza family, although the construction of the Pazo corresponds to the last third of the 18th century, with baroque and neoclassicism being the predominant styles. Currently, the facilities are part of the Provincial Museum Network, after the last noblewoman of Lemos, María Paz Taboada de Andrés y Zúñiga bequeathed it to the Provincial Council. The condition for this donation was that it be opened free of charge to all locals and visitors and that the furniture, the arrangement of the belongings, and the artistic works be maintained as established.
In July 2006, the Pazo was opened to the public as a museum, after a thorough restoration in which the structure and layout were kept intact, and today it is a must-visit place for those who enjoy experiencing life from another era. The Pazo is a “living” example of the Galician manor houses of the 18th century, making it an ethnographic museum that directly transports us to another way of life. The last inhabitant, until her death in 1998, María Paz Taboada y Zúñiga, kept the interior as she knew it and bequeathed it that way.
After crossing the courtyard and climbing the stone staircase, we enter the interior and history will always accompany our steps. You can visit almost all the rooms, including the armory; the north lounge, presided over by a portrait of María Paz Taboada and with a showcase full of antique jewelry, fans, pocket watches, pipes, etc.; the midday room, the brightest room in the house with three large mirrors hanging on its walls; the music room with curious instruments such as a Longman and Broderip claviorgan and a Collard Collard pianoforte; the Pazo’s office where some of the most valuable specimens of the Pazo de Tor library, with almost 3000 volumes published between the 16th and 20th centuries, are found; the bishop’s room; the children’s room; the chapel with a rococo altarpiece from the last third of the 18th century and, in addition to other rooms, the service area, with the servants’ quarters, garages, cellars, stables, and barns.