Santa María de Moreruela
Key facts
- Type
- Monastery
- Religious order
- Cistercian
- Era
- 12th Century
- Architectural style
- Romanesque-Cistercian
- Founded
- 1143
- Current status
- Ruins
- Location
- Granja de Moreruela, Zamora
- Province
- Zamora
- Region
- Castilla y León
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.
Highlights
- Possibly first Cistercian house in Spain
- Unique ambulatory with radiating chapels
- Atmospheric ruins in open countryside
- Influenced by Clairvaux plan
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.
- Real Monasterio de las Huelgas — Cistercian, 12th Century. 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.
- 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.
- 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 · Zamora province · Castles of Zamora