Monastery of El Paular facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Monastery of Santa María de El Paular |
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| Native name Spanish: Monasterio de Santa María de El Paular |
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| Location | Rascafría, Spain |
| Official name: Monasterio de Santa María de El Paular | |
| Type | Non-movable |
| Criteria | Monument |
| Designated | 1876 |
| Reference no. | RI-51-0000015 |
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The Monastery of Santa María de El Paular is an old Carthusian monastery. It is located near Madrid, in a town called Rascafría. This beautiful building sits in the Lozoya Valley, below the Sierra de Guadarrama mountains.
Contents
History of the Monastery
Building the monastery is thought to have started in 1390. Henry II of Castile ordered its construction. His son, John I of Castile, continued the work for fifty years. The monastery was built where an old chapel used to be.
It is said that King Henry II started this project after taking things from a Carthusian monastery during a war in France. This monastery was the very first Carthusian one in the region of Castile and Leon.
Many different architects helped design the complex. Some famous names include Juan Guas and Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón. The dining hall, called the refectory, was designed in a special Moorish style.
The monastery stopped being used by monks in 1835. However, in 1876, the government started protecting the site. Since 1954, a part of the monastery has been used by Benedictine monks. Another part was a fancy hotel for many years, but it closed in 2014.
Amazing Design and Art
The chapel of the sacristy has amazing decorations from the 1700s. A sacristy is a room in a church where priests prepare for services. These decorations were made by Francisco Hurtado Izquierdo. They feature colorful marbles, twisted columns, and gold leaf designs. This fancy style is called late-Baroque. It looks very different from the simple, peaceful cloisters. Cloisters are covered walkways around a courtyard.
The church once had beautiful silver decorations. This included a large silver container called a "custodia," which weighed a lot! Sadly, many of these valuable items were taken during a war.
The monastery also has a large wooden screen from the 1400s. This screen separates the area where the monks sing from the main part of the church. It is still in excellent condition.
Collections and Paintings
The monastery still has an interesting library today. However, its once-famous collection of books and maps is now spread out in different places.
In 1755, an earthquake damaged the tower and the roof of the main church area.
There were also 52 paintings by Vincenzo Carducci that showed the life of Saint Bruno. These paintings were missing from the monastery for a long time. They were kept in museums, including the Museo del Prado in Madrid. Luckily, after being repaired, these paintings were returned to the monastery in 2011.
Today, you can visit parts of both the monastery and the former hotel.
Images for kids
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The Royal Monastery of Santa María de El Paular.
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The restored inside of the cloister at El Paular, with paintings by Vicente Carducho.
See also
In Spanish: Monasterio de Santa María de El Paular para niños
