Santo Toribio de Liébana facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Monastery of Santo Toribio de Liébana |
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| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Status | Monastery |
| Location | |
| Location | Camaleño (Cantabria), Spain |
| Architecture | |
| Architectural type | Monastery |
| Architectural style | Romanesque |
| Completed | 12th century |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | ii, iv, vi |
| Designated | 2015 (32nd session) |
| Parent listing | Routes of Santiago de Compostela: Camino Francés and Routes of Northern Spain |
| Reference no. | 669bis-020 |
| Region | Europe and North America |
| Type | Non-movable |
| Criteria | Monument |
| 11 August 1953 | |
| RI-51-0001242 | |
| Website | |
| Official Website: http://www.santotoribiodeliebana.org | |
The Monastery of Santo Toribio de Liébana is a special Roman Catholic monastery located in a beautiful area called Liébana, close to Potes in Cantabria, Spain. It's nestled in the Cantabrian Mountains in northern Spain. This monastery is one of only five places in the world where people can receive special indulgences (a type of spiritual blessing) at any time. The other four places are Rome, Jerusalem, Santiago de Compostela, and Caravaca de la Cruz.
This monastery is very old, founded even before the 6th century. It holds a very important piece of the Lignum Crucis, which means "Wood of the Cross." This is believed to be a part of the actual cross that Jesus Christ was crucified on. It was brought from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem by Saint Turibius of Astorga. The monastery keeps this precious relic, which is said to be the largest piece of the True Cross in the world, in a beautiful silver case.
The monastery was first named after St. Martin of Tours. However, its name was changed in the 12th century to honor Saint Turibius. In 1961, a group of Franciscan friars, who are like guardians of holy places, were given the job of protecting this relic. They also help people learn about and show devotion to the Holy Cross.
History of the Monastery
The exact beginnings of the monastery are not fully known. It became important during the time of King Alfonso I of Asturias. He was helping to bring people back to live in the Liébana area in the mid-8th century. This was during the early part of the Reconquista, a long period when Christian kingdoms took back land in Spain.
The first mention of the monastery, then called Turieno, and its connection to Saint Turibius was in 1125. It is thought that a bishop from the 6th century, named Turibius of Liébana, started the monastery. He moved to Liébana with some friends to live a religious life.
The monastery was first dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours. Over time, its name changed to Saint Turibius of Liébana. It is believed that in the 8th century, the body of another 6th-century bishop, Turibius of Astorga, was moved here. He also brought important holy items from the Holy Land for safekeeping.
The most important of these items is the Wood of the True Cross. Many Roman Catholics believe this is the largest remaining piece of the cross where Jesus Christ was crucified. Because of this, the monastery became a very important place for pilgrimage (a religious journey). It is one of the most significant holy sites for Roman Catholicism in Europe. Other famous holy places include Rome, Santiago de Compostela, Caravaca de la Cruz, and Assisi.
This monastery was also where Beatus of Liébana, a monk from the 8th century, wrote and drew his famous works. One of his most well-known works is his Commentary on the Apocalypse.
The monastery was originally owned by the royal family. But King Alfonso VIII of Castile later gave it to Count Gómez and Countess Emilia. They then passed it on to the monastery of Oña in Burgos. The group of monks living there stopped existing after religious lands were sold in Spain in 1837. However, a small group of Friars Minor (Franciscan monks) took over in 1961.
The Church Building
The most important building at the monastery is the Gothic church. Its construction began in 1256. However, it has been changed and updated many times since then. It was built on the site of older churches, perhaps from the Asturian or Mozarabic styles.
The church has a clear and simple design, typical of the architecture of San Bernardo. It is shaped like a rectangle with three aisles (walkways). There is a tower at the front of the widest central aisle. It also has three polygonal apses (rounded ends). Its front looks similar to the Abbey of the Holy Bodies, which is the cathedral of Santander.
The doors on the southern wall are in the Romanesque style. They might even be older than the church building itself. The main door is called the Puerta del Perdón (Door of Forgiveness). This special door is only opened during a Jubilee Year. A Jubilee Year happens when Saint Turibius' feast day falls on a Sunday. The cloister, which is an open courtyard surrounded by covered walkways, was finished in the 17th century.
The Amazing True Cross Relic
According to tradition, this holy relic is a part of the True Cross. Empress Saint Helena is said to have found the True Cross in Jerusalem. From there, Saint Turibius of Astorga, who was a guardian of holy places, brought it to the cathedral in his hometown of Astorga, Spain. He soon became a bishop there.
When the Moors invaded Spain in 711, this relic and others were hidden. They were kept safe in a fold on Mount Viorna in the Liebana Valley, near Saint Turibius' own relics. Both relics were later moved to the monastery. This immediately made the monastery an important place for pilgrims traveling to Santiago de Compostela. Documents from 1507 state that the Jubilee celebration has happened "since time immemorial" whenever the saint's feast day falls on a Sunday.
Fr. Sandoval, a historian of the Benedictine order, wrote about this relic. He said it is the "left arm of the Holy Cross." He described it as being cut and put together in the shape of a cross. It still has the hole where Christ's hand was nailed. The vertical part of the cross is 635 millimeters (25 inches) long. The crossbar is 393 millimeters (15.5 inches) long. The cross itself is 38 millimeters (1.5 inches) thick. It is known as the largest remaining piece of the True Cross.
The wood is set into a beautiful Gothic silver gilt cross. This was made by a workshop in Valladolid in 1679. It rests inside a golden wooden case within a baroque chapel. This chapel has a dome and was built in the early 18th century. It is located on the north wall of the church. An effigy (a statue) of the chapel's founder, Francisco de Cosío y Otero, watches over it. He was born nearby and became a Grand Inquisitor in Madrid and later an Archbishop of Bogotá in Colombia.
In 1817, Ignacio Ramón de Roda, who was the Bishop of León, visited the monastery. He asked the prior (the head monk) of the Benedictine monks for permission to take a piece of the Cross. Two pieces of wood, arranged like a cross in a special container, were given to Don Joachim and Don Felix Columbus. They were descendants of Christopher Columbus. These pieces were for the chapel at their family castle in Asturias.
In 1909, Terry and Mathilde Boal inherited the Columbus family chapel. They brought it to their estate in America. This included an admiral's desk that belonged to Christopher Columbus himself. They brought the entrance door and the entire inside of the Columbus Chapel, along with the relic of the True Cross, from Spain to Boalsburg, Pennsylvania.
In 1958, scientists from Madrid's Forestry Research Institute studied the relic. They found that the wood is from a Mediterranean Cypress tree (Cupressus sempervirens). This type of tree is very common in Israel. Their research also suggested that the wood could be more than 2,000 years old.
See also
In Spanish: Monasterio de Santo Toribio de Liébana para niños
