Anhórreo is a typical granary from the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula (Asturias, Galicia, where it might be called a Galician granary, and Northern Portugal), built in wood or stone, raised from the ground (to keep rodents and water out) by pillars (pegollosinAsturian and Cantabrian, esteosinGalician, espigueirosinPortuguese, abearriakinBasque) ending in flat staddle stones (vira-ratos in Galician, muelesortornarratos in Asturian, or zubiluzea in Basque) to prevent access by rodents. Ventilation is allowed by the slits in its walls.
Hórreos are mainly found in the Northwest of Spain (Galicia and Asturias) and Northern Portugal. There are two main types of hórreo, rectangular-shaped, the more extended, usually found in Galicia and coastal areas of Asturias; and square-shaped hórreos from Asturias, León, western Cantabria and eastern Galicia.
The oldest document containing an image of an hórreo is the Cantigas de Santa MariabyAlfonso X "El Sabio" (song CLXXXVII) from the 13th century. In this depiction, three rectangular hórreos of gothic style are illustrated.[2]
There are several types of Asturian hórreo, according to the characteristics of the roof (thatched, tiled, slate, pitched or double pitched), the materials used for the pillars or the decoration. The oldest still standing date from the 15th century, and even nowadays they are built ex novo. There are an estimated 18,000 hórreos and paneras in Asturias, some are poorly preserved but there is a growing awareness from owners and authorities to maintain them in good shape.
The longest hórreo in Galicia is located in Carnota, A Coruña, and is 35 metres (115 ft) long.
Other similar granary structures include Asturianpaneras (basically, big hórreos with more than four pillars), cabaceiras (Galician round basketwork hórreo), trojesortrojsinCastile or silos.
There are espigueirosorcanastros in northern Portugal (the most famous concentration is located in Soajo).
French Savoy has its regard, also encountered in the Swiss Valais (raccard) and the Italian Aosta Valley (rascard). Norway has its stabbur, Sweden its härbre or more precisely stolphärbreorstolpbod. Hambars are found in the Balkans, and serender in northern Turkey.
Similar buildings (barns) on staddle stones are found in Southern England.
^Hórreo: granary (Spain), in Encyclopedia of Vernacular Architecture of the World (Paul Oliver ed.), Vol. 1, Theories and Principles, pp. 713-714: "Not until the 13th century, in the 'Cantigas' of Alfonso X, was there confirmation of buildings that were morphologically similar to the basic Galician hórreos."
![Granary set in Combarro [gl].](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:H%C3%B3rreos_de_Combarro.jpg)
![Stone granary in Portuguese Soajo [pt].](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Soajo_-_Espigueiros.JPG)
![Alvenary granary over pillars in Carnota [gl].](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:H%C3%B3rreo_de_Carnota.jpg)
![Alvenary granary over pillars and slab in Lira [gl].](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Horreo_de_Lira%2C_Carnota.jpg)
