Father Feijoo Gardens

Isabel la Católica, S/N, 32005

Two exceptional statues domain this space: the one devoted to Father Feijóo and Quessada's Faun, an evocative memory of childhood fantasies.

ES Jardines del Padre Feijóo | GL Xardíns do Padre Feijóo

A small urban garden that has the first sculpture erected in the city in the 19th century. It is dedicated to one of the greatest representatives of the Enlightenment in Spain, Father Jerónimo Feijóo, who was born in the vicinity of the capital. The Municipal Tourist Office is located underneath the garden.

The sculpture is the work of Juan Soler y Dalmau, made entirely of bronze. Dating from 1887, it represents the intellectual with a bonnet on his head and a pen in his right hand. In his left hand, his greatest work, the Universal Critical Theatre. The piece is installed on a granite pedestal designed by Zabala, with several plates that refer back to the works of this thinker. Its opening was a major event in the Ourense of the time, not in vain it was the first sculpture in the city. Several days of celebrations were held with literary, scientific and musical events, and the Unión Ourensana Choral Society, which is still active, was presented for the first time.

The inauguration of Feijóo’s sculpture, in 1887, was a major event in the Ourense of the time, with several days of celebrations held.

Nearby there is a striking second sculpture, a faun riding an owl, made by Xaime Quessada. It is said that the author placed it looking to Barbana river, in memory of his childhood games. On the floor, another childhood memory: several plaques with names of magazines and comics characters that will be familiar to many people. This is a tribute to the places where trading cards and comics that lit the imagination were exchanged, such as those sold in La Viuda bookshop, right next to it.