Cañas, La Rioja facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cañas
Municipality
Church of the Assumption
Cañas Location in La Rioja, Spain Show map of La Rioja, Spain Cañas Location in Spain Show map of Spain
Country	Spain
Autonomous community	La Rioja
Comarca	Nájera
Area
• Total	9.72 km2 (3.75 sq mi)
Elevation	643 m (2,110 ft)
Population  (2018)
• Total	97

Cañas is a small town, also called a municipality, located in La Rioja, Spain. It's a place with a long history. This town is famous for being the birthplace of Saint Dominic of Silos, a very important saint who lived a long time ago, from 1000 to 1073.

Cañas is home to the Monastery of Santa María de San Salvador. This special place was built for Cistercian nuns. These are women who dedicate their lives to God and live together in a community. The monastery was started in 1169 and 1170 by a noble couple, Lope Díaz I de Haro and his wife Aldonza.

The monastery became very rich and powerful in the 1200s. This was especially true when Abbess Urraca Díaz de Haro was in charge, from 1222 to 1262. The Haro family, a powerful noble family, continued to support the nuns until 1322. Even today, the community of nuns is still active there. They still have old books from the Middle Ages. These include an antiphonary from around 1200, which is a book of songs for church services. They also have a missal from 1267 to 1279, which is a book with all the prayers and readings for Mass.

Famous People from Cañas

• Dominic of Silos: He was born in Cañas. He became a very respected saint in the Catholic Church. He is known for his holy life and for helping people.

Places to Explore

Cañas has some interesting places to visit, especially its historic monastery.

The beautiful Monastery of Santa María.

The peaceful cloister of the Monastery of Cañas. A cloister is a covered walkway, often found in monasteries.

A special alabaster window in the north chapel of the Monastery of Cañas. Alabaster is a soft, translucent stone.

See Also

In Spanish: Cañas para niños