We were based in LĂ©on and wanted a day out of the city so visited several remarkable Romanesque Monasteries near Leon. It was a wonderful day trip of c. 90 kms on easy roads. I wrote individual posts about the monasteries but I want to draw them together, and anyway I don’t really want to leave LĂ©on!
Santa Maria de Sandoval
Santa Maria de Sandoval is just outside Mansilla de las Mulas, one of the stops on the Camino de Santiago. This Monastery dates from 1167 and it was a Cistercian Monastery.Â
Convent of Santa Maria la Real
In the unassuming village of Gradefes we found the Convent of Santa Maria la Real. The Convent was founded in 1171 during the early expansion of the Cistercian Order. It is a calm and beautiful environment, and felt very ‘feminine’. This was another place we were reluctant to leave.
San Miguel de Escalada
The Monastery of San Miguel de Escalada stands alone on a hillside down the road from Gradefes. I caught my breath as I walked through the door. It is completely surprising, almost like being in the Mosque in Cordoba. And the atmosphere is calm and serene.
San Pedro de Eslonza
And quite by chance we found the rather sad ruins of San Pedro de Eslonza. This Monastery, founded in 912, became the second most important Benedictine establishment in LĂ©on, after Sahagun. In the 1830s when religious establishments were taken over by the state the Monastery’s artefacts were sold and the buildings were systematically looted. Fortunately, perhaps, the facade was ‘rescued’ and moved to LĂ©on to face the Church of San Juan and San Pedro Renueva.Â
If you have a day to spare in LĂ©on do consider this round trip to see Romanesque Monasteries near Leon – just check opening times before setting out!
wanderessence1025
Thanks for the roundup of these wonderful monasteries, Candy. You’re right that San Miguel de Escalada does seem to have intimations of the Cordoba mosque. 🙂