- Poblet Monastery
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Poblet Monastery 
Shown within SpainBasic information Location Vimbodí i Poblet, Catalonia, Spain Geographic coordinates 41°22′51″N 1°04′57″E / 41.380833°N 1.0825°ECoordinates: 41°22′51″N 1°04′57″E / 41.380833°N 1.0825°E Affiliation Roman Catholic Church Leadership Abott José Alegre Website poblet.cat Architectural description Architect(s) Arnau Bargués Architectural type Monastery Architectural style Catalan Gothic UNESCO World Heritage Site Official name: Poblet Monastery Criteria: i, iv Designated: 1991[1] Reference #: 518 Spanish Property of Cultural Interest Official name: Monasterio de Poblet Designated: 13 July 1921 Reference #: (R.I.)-51-0000197-00000[2] The Royal Abbey of Santa Maria de Poblet (Catalan: Reial Monestir de Santa Maria de Poblet) is a Cistercian monastery, founded in 1151, located at the feet of the Prades Mountains, in the comarca of Conca de Barberà, in Catalonia (Spain). It was founded by Cistercian monks from France on lands conquered from the Moors. The main architect was Arnau Bargués.
This monastery was the first of three sister monasteries, known as the Cistercian triangle, that helped consolidate power in Catalonia in the 12th century. (The other two are Vallbona de les Monges and Santes Creus)
Contents
Significance
Poblet was the royal pantheon of the kings of the Crown of Aragon since James I of Aragon. Some of the most important royal sepulchres have alabaster statues that lie over the tomb. The kings have lion sculptures at their feet, while the queens have dogs.[3]
Peter III of Aragon (1239 – 1285) made it a condition, under solemn oath at the moment of crowning, that all the Aragonese-Catalan kings be buried there. Only Ferdinand II of Aragon broke the oath, after his kingdom had been merged with the Kingdom of Castile, and was buried in Granada.[4]
In 1731 Philip Wharton, 1st Duke of Wharton was buried there.
Ruin and rebuilding
The monastery, which had already suffered damage during the First Carlist War, was closed down due to the Ecclesiastical Confiscations of Mendizábal in 1835 during Isabella II of Spain's rule. The Desamortización caused the exclaustration of the place and brought monastic life to an end. On 24th July of the same year the monastery was plundered by representatives of the Mendizábal's government and unruly mobs.[5] During the events all valuable paintings and furniture were removed and dispersed. Also parts of the monastery were destroyed owing to fires.
In the years that followed the Poblet Monastery fell into disrepair and ruin, some of the main roofs having caved in. The tombs of the rulers of the Kingdom of Aragon were desecrated and the remains were transferred and kept for a while in the Cathedral of Tarragona, thanks to the intervention of Rev. Antoni Serret from the neighboring town of L'Espluga.[6]
Finally the monastery was refounded in 1940 by Italian monks of the same order and rebuilding and repair began to take place. Close to the entrance to the church one building has been kept in a ruined state as a reminder. The remains of the ancient Royal House od Aragon were put back in the sepulchres, but they are now all mixed up.
Poblet belongs to the Cistercian Congregation of the Crown of Aragon, along with Santa Maria de Solius and nunneries such as Santa Maria de Vallbona and Santa Maria de Valldonzella. The Abbot of Poblet is the ex officio chairman of the Congregation. Today the monastic community of Poblet is composed of 29 professed monks, 1 regular oblate, 1 novice and 2 familiars.
Poblet Monastery has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991. The altar (1527) was sculpted by Damián Forment.
Gallery
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Poblet ground plan
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Gate
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Main belltower
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Tomb of a king and queen of Aragon within the Reial Monestir de Poblet
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Tomb of James I of Aragon
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Part of the Royal Pantheon after restoration
See also
References
- ^ "Poblet Monastery". Whc.unesco.org. http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/518/. Retrieved 2011-01-10.
- ^ "Monasterio de Poblet" (in Spanish). Patrimonio Historico - Base de datos de bienes inmuebles. Ministerio de Cultura. http://www.mcu.es. Retrieved 9 January 2011.
- ^ Tombes reials
- ^ Màrius Domingo & Antoni Borau, Muntanyes de Prades. Paisatge i fauna, Cossetania Editions, ISBN 8489890064
- ^ Josep M. Sugranyes , De Reus a Prades i Poblet; A peu pels camins de la història, la llegenda i l’anècdota, Cossetania Editions, ISBN 84-89890-92-7
- ^ Josep M. Sugranyes , De Reus a Prades i Poblet; A peu pels camins de la història, la llegenda i l’anècdota, Cossetania Editions, ISBN 8489890927
External links
- Monestir de Poblet Official website (Catalan) (Spanish) (English)
- Adrian Fletcher's Paradoxplace Poblet Pages (photos)
- Monestirs de Catalunya. Poblet (Catalan only)
Archaeological Ensemble of Tarraco (Tarragona) • Catalan Romanesque Churches of the Vall de Boí • Palau de la Música Catalana and Hospital de Sant Pau • Works of Antoni Gaudí (Park Güell · Palau Güell · Casa Milà · Sagrada Família · Casa Vicens · Casa Batlló · Church of Colònia Güell · Casa Calvet) • Poblet Monastery
World Heritage Sites in Spain For official site names, see each article or the List of World Heritage Sites in Spain.North West Caves of Altamira and Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain1 · Monuments of Oviedo and the Kingdom of the Asturias · Roman Walls of Lugo · Route of Santiago de Compostela1 · Santiago de Compostela · Tower of Hercules
North East Caves of Altamira and Paleolithic Cave Art of Northern Spain1 · Mudéjar Architecture of Aragon · Pyrénées - Mont Perdu2 · Rock-Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula1 · Route of Santiago de Compostela1 · San Millán Yuso and Suso Monasteries · Vizcaya Bridge
Community of Madrid Aranjuez Cultural Landscape · El Escorial · University and Historic Precinct of Alcalá de Henares
Centre Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida · Archaeological Site of Atapuerca · Ávila with its Extra-mural Churches · Burgos Cathedral · Cáceres · Cuenca · Las Médulas · Rock-Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula1 · Route of Santiago de Compostela1 · Salamanca · Santa María de Guadalupe · Segovia and its Aqueduct · Toledo · Prehistoric Rock-Art Sites in the Côa Valley and Siega Verde
East Archaeological Ensemble of Tarraco, Tarragona · Catalan Romanesque Churches of the Vall de Boí · Ibiza (Biodiversity and Culture) · Palau de la Música Catalana and Hospital de Sant Pau, Barcelona · Palmeral of Elche · Poblet Monastery · Rock-Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula1 · Silk Exchange in Valencia · Works of Antoni Gaudí
South Alhambra, Generalife and Albayzín, Granada · Cathedral, Alcázar and Archivo de Indias, Seville · Córdoba · Doñana · Renaissance Monuments of Úbeda and Baeza · Rock-Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula1
Canary Islands 1 Shared with other region/s · 2 Shared with FranceCategories:- Geography articles needing translation from Catalan Wikipedia
- Catalonia geography stubs
- Monasteries in Catalonia
- Cistercian monasteries in Spain
- World Heritage Sites in Spain
- 1151 establishments
- Religious organizations established in the 1150s
- Catalan symbols
- Basilica churches in Spain
- Christian monasteries established in the 12th century
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