Exploring with my camera
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
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
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 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
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
The Monastery of San Toribio near Potes is apparently only one of five sites in Christianity that can issue a perpetual indulgence.
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
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 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
