Monastery of San Miguel de Escalada Facts for Kids

San Miguel de Escalada, seen from the west

The San Miguel de Escalada monastery is an old building in León, Spain. It's about 10 kilometers (6 miles) away from the famous Way of St. James pilgrimage route, which many people walk to reach Santiago de Compostela. This monastery is a great example of a special kind of art and building style called Mozarabic art and architecture. This style was created by Christians living in areas ruled by Muslims a long time ago.

History of the Monastery
What the Monastery Looks Like
Gallery
See also

History of the Monastery

This monastery has a long and interesting past! We know from old writings that the church was officially opened in the year 951. This happened around the time the Kingdom of León was just starting. It was built on a spot that was already special, dedicated to Saint Michael, and might have even had an older church there from the Visigothic period (a very old kingdom in Spain).

An old text tells us that the place was once a smaller church that fell into ruins. Then, a leader named Abbot Alfonso came from Córdoba with his friends. They started to rebuild the church under the protection of King Alfonso. As more and more monks joined them, they decided to make the temple much bigger and more beautiful. They didn't do this because a king ordered it, or by forcing people to work. Instead, Abbot Alfonso and his monks worked hard for twelve months to finish the project. This was during the rule of King García and his wife Mumadonna. Bishop Genadio officially made the temple sacred in 951.

Monastery of San Miguel de Escalada: inside view

Later, in 1050, even more monks joined the monastery, so it was updated by Abbot Sabarico. In 1155, King Alfonso VII gave the monastery to a group of monks called the St Rufo of Avignon congregation.

However, things changed in 1836. The government took over many church properties, and the monastery was left empty. The monks left, and the buildings were no longer used for monastic life. Today, only the church, a tower, and a small chapel called San Fructuoso are still standing. The tower and chapel are built in a style called Romanesque, which is another old European building style. Later in the 1800s, these buildings were recognized as a national monument, meaning they are very important and protected.

What the Monastery Looks Like

The church inside the monastery has a main open area called a nave. This area is divided into three parts by columns and large horseshoe arches. These arches are shaped like a horseshoe, wider at the bottom than at the top. The church also has special sections called apses and a crossing, which is where the main parts of the church meet. Unlike some churches, this crossing doesn't have a big dome or central tower above it. The area where the choir sings is separated from the main nave by three more horseshoe arches.

Even though the inside has different sections, from the outside, the building looks like a simple rectangle. All the arches are supported by marble columns and fancy tops called Corinthian steeples. These parts might have come from even older Roman or Visigothic buildings that were once in the area. For example, you can see a decorative carving that looks like it came from an old gravestone, possibly from the nearby Roman city of Lancia.

The monastery also has wooden panels inside that are decorated with paintings from the 1400s.

One of the most interesting parts of the building is a porch on the south side. It has twelve horseshoe arches! These arches were built in two different stages. The seven arches on the west side, with their columns and steeples, show a Moorish style. The older Mozarabic work from the 900s can be seen in the special square frames, called alfizes, around the arches.