Monastery of San Martin Pinario

posted in: Europe, Galicia, Home, Spain | 2

I had of course heard of the Cathedral in Santiago, but didn’t know about this astonishing building. The original Benedictine Monastery of San Martín Pinario dates from 6C and is named for the pines (pignario) in which the buildings stood. Today’s buildings mainly date from … Continued

Romanesque Monasteries near Leon

posted in: Europe, Home, Leon, Spain | 1

We were based in Léon 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 … Continued

The Monastery of San Pedro de Eslonza

posted in: Europe, Home, Leon, Spain | 2

It had been a wonderful day visiting extraordinary monasteries in the countryside around Léon. As we were driving back I noticed a sign showing an historical site. In a spur of the moment decision I pulled off the road to … Continued

Santa Maria la Real in Gradefes

posted in: Europe, Home, Leon, Spain | 2

Le Tart Abbey in France was established in 1132 as the first Cistercian Convent for women, I believe. The first Cistercian Convent in Spain followed in 1151 in Tulebras. In 1168 Santa Maria la Real in Gradefes was founded and … Continued

The Monastery of Santa Maria de Sandoval

posted in: Europe, Home, Leon, Spain | 2

The Monastery of Santa Maria de Sandoval was an interesting church outside Leon which had caught my attention. But we needed a car to visit the Monastery! The car had shown ominous messages as we drove to Leon. A very … Continued

Lebena & Frama and churches 1,000 years old

posted in: Cantabrica, Europe, Home, Spain | 3

At the Monastery at San Toribio I saw a map with the names of monasteries and churches in the surrounding areas. We were staying in Cambarco and nearby there were important monasteries, so off we went to explore! Lebeña and … Continued

A walk through Beja in Portugal

posted in: Europe, Portugal | 3

Visiting an area or town for the first time usually means seeing the ‘obvious’ sights first, returning if there is time and I particularly enjoyed something, then I move on to the ‘secondary’ sights, and after that I am free … Continued

Pousada Sao Francisco in Beja, Portugal

posted in: Europe, Home, Portugal | 0

Beja was a surprise after the northern part of the Alentejo! We had been staying in the Pousada at Flor de Rosa and drove down to the south of the Alentejo via Estremoz. It was a rainy day and I … Continued

The Monastery of San Clodio

posted in: Galicia, Home, Spain | 0

The clouds lifted and after walking around Ribadavia we visited the Monastery of San Clodio before returning to Tui. Some date the monastery to the 6C, others the 10C. Some say it was the Benedictine monks who established the monastery as a … Continued

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