Monastery of Santa María la Real in Aguilar de Campoo

Coordinates: 42°47′43″N 4°16′21″W / 42.79528°N 4.2725°W / 42.79528; -4.2725

Santa María la Real is a monastery in Aguilar de Campoo, province of Palencia, Spain. Santa María la Real is a common name for monasteries in Spain, and indicates a royal connection, in this case to King Alfonso VIII of Castile.

Early Gothic architecture at Santa María la Real

From the 12th century the monastery was the home of a Premonstratensian community. The architecture is in a transitional style between Romanesque and Gothic.

Conservation

The monastery was closed in the 19th century as a result of the Ecclesiastical Confiscations of Mendizábal. The buildings fell into ruin and in 1871 various capitals (dated circa 1200) were removed to the National Archaeological Museum of Spain.

In 1914 the monastery was declared a national monument. The restored buildings today house a Foundation for the study of the Romanesque as well as a Secondary Education School ((ies santamarialareal)) .^[1] Palencia has the highest density of Romanesque monuments in Europe, and the monastery is promoted in the context of a Romanesque heritage route.^[2]

References

1. ^ (Spanish) Fundación Santa María la Real
2. ^ (English) Tourism in Aguilar de Campoo