Real Monasterio de las Huelgas

A royal Cistercian convent founded by Eleanor of England and Alfonso VIII of Castile. Its abbess held extraordinary powers, able to grant titles, hear confessions, and rule over fifty villages.

History

Founded in 1187 by King Alfonso VIII and his wife Eleanor of England (daughter of Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine), Las Huelgas became the most powerful convent in Spain. Its abbess had quasi-episcopal authority and feudal lordship over fifty-two villages. Many Castilian monarchs were crowned, married, or buried here.

Highlights

• Founded by Eleanor of England
• Abbess wielded quasi-episcopal power
• Royal pantheon of Castilian kings
• Exceptional Mudéjar textile collection
• Museum of Medieval Fabrics

More Monasteries in Castilla y León

• Monasterio de Santo Domingo de Silos — Benedictine, 11th Century. World-famous for its Romanesque cloister with exquisitely carved capitals and for the Gregorian chant recordings by its Benedictine monks that became an international bestseller.
• Monasterio de San Pedro de Cardeña — Cistercian, 10th Century. The legendary monastery where El Cid left his wife Doña Jimena and daughters before riding into exile. One of the most important sites in Cidian legend and Castilian history.
• Santa María de Moreruela — Cistercian, 12th Century. The ruins of what was possibly the first Cistercian monastery in the Iberian Peninsula. Its apse with radiating chapels is unique in Spanish Cistercian architecture.
• San Pedro de Arlanza — Benedictine, 10th Century. The romantic ruins of the 'cradle of Castile' — a Benedictine abbey where Fernán González, first independent Count of Castile, is said to have been raised and buried.

Explore nearby: Castilla y León guide · Burgos province · Castles of Burgos