The Archaeological Excavation of the Montenegro Family Manor

In 1998, the University of Santiago de Compostela decided to establish the headquarters of the Vice-chancellor’s Office for the Lugo Campus on the site of the old Montenegro family Manor, a building that enjoyed a privileged location inside the historical city center.

Nearby, one can find some of the most outstanding monuments in Lugo, such as Saint Mary’s Cathedral, in the same square, right in front of this building, and the Roman Wall of Lugo which stands right behind it. One of the main gateways of the wall, Santiago’s gate, is just alongside.

The archaeological inspection, carried out prior to building the Vice-chancellor’s Office, documented the existence of Roman remains that made rethinking the planned construction necessary so as to carry out various archaeological campaigns between 2000 and 2007.

Although it was limited to an area of about 600 m², the excavation revealed a significant part of an ancient Roman domus and a space for religious worship: a private Mithraeum. It has also allowed researchers to better understand the foundational part of the Roman wall.