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Monastery of Santa Maria de Vallbona

Vallbona de les Monges, Urgell, Lleida

1 Villages · 3 Monuments · 1 Activities · 2 Historical milestones

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Monastery of Santa Maria de Vallbona

Monument · Vallbona de les Monges, Urgell, Lleida

One of the three great Cistercian monasteries of Catalonia, together with Poblet and Santes Creus, inhabited by nuns since the 12th century. It arose from a community of anchoresses founded in 1153 by Ramon de Vallbona under the Rule of St Benedict, which in 1175 adopted Cistercian observance; its first abbess, Oria Ramírez, came from the Navarrese monastery of Tulebras. Built between the 12th and 14th centuries, it combines the Romanesque style with a Gothic section, and was declared a Monumento Nacional (Spain's former top heritage protection status, precursor of today's BIC) in 1931. It soon attracted ladies of the Catalan nobility and received the favour of the Crown, with visits from Alfonso II the Chaste and James I the Conqueror, who sponsored its construction. It came to house up to 150 nuns and gave rise to the barony of Vallbona.

Photo: Mattana (Public domain)

What to see and do in Vallbona de les Monges