The Parish Church of San Xiao de Guimarei is the result of a long historical process that reflects the evolution of the parish and its community over the centuries. The current temple is not the first church of the parish but the third, as two previous buildings once stood in different locations within the parish territory. The need to build a new church arose when the previous temple began to suffer serious problems with dampness and water infiltration caused by the proximity of a dam, which seriously threatened its stability and forced the decision to move it to a more suitable location.
The construction of the new temple was entrusted to the master stonemason Andrés Fontaíña, and the church was blessed in 1709, during the Baroque period. In order to reduce costs, it was agreed to dismantle the old building and reuse its stonework in the new construction. The project was financed in part by the parish priest of Guimarei, by the lords of the Tower of Guimarei, and by the marquis, whose involvement was so significant that he was eventually buried inside the temple, where his coat of arms is still preserved as testimony to his patronage.
During the 19th century, the church underwent further renovations, particularly in 1860, a date recorded in a Latin inscription preserved in the building. The inscription commemorates the rebuilding of the sanctuary and invokes divine protection over the work. This epigraph not only provides a precise chronological reference, but also highlights the care and attention that the community of Guimarei has dedicated to its church, consolidating it as a central element of the religious, historical and cultural life of the parish. Today, it allows visitors to better understand the history and identity of Guimarei.
