Work & Activities

In his works, he also shows a great erudition answering against historical errors about Galicia in books of that time. Cernadas published every year 150 petition with the most outstanding events to collect money for his faithful. That's why his biographer, the journalist José Manuel Rivas Troitiño, considers him to be not only the precursor of the doctrine of Galician autonomy but also the first Galician journalist of the 17th century. Although most of his work is written in Castilian, Cernadas also wrote in Galician and justified its literary use in the famous ten-line stanzas for the Marchioness of Camarasa: "Co desexo de acordarvos / que en Galicia o seu funduxe / ten a vosa nobre fruxe / vou en Galego a falarvos. De esto non hay que estrañarvos. Antes ben, facendo gala / de esta Nación, estimala". Cernadas's work cannot be forgotten for his passionate defence of Galicia. Castelao includes him among the 'great sons' of Galicia and Otero Pedrayo called him 'o noso bardo nacional' ('Our national bard'). When Feijoó died, Cernadas wrote a memento in his memory devoted to his beloved Galician Nation ("a súa moi Nobre, Moi Respetable e Moi Amada Nai a Nación Galega").