Poblet Abbey, otherwise the Royal Abbey of Santa Maria de Poblet ( ca, Reial Monestir de Santa Maria de Poblet), is a

Cistercian The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint B ...

monastery, founded in 1151, located at the foot of the

Prades Mountains Prades Mountains, also known as Muntanyes de Prades, is a large calcareous mountain massif straddling the comarcas of Alt Camp, Baix Camp, Conca de Barberà, Garrigues and Priorat, in Catalonia, Spain. They are a Site of Community Importance. Th ...

, in the

comarca A ''comarca'' (, or , or ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal, Spain and some of their former colonies, like Brazil, Nicaragua, and Panama. The term is derived from the term ''marca'', meaning a "march, ...

Conca de Barberà Conca de Barberà () is a comarca (county) in the province of Tarragona, Catalonia, Spain. Its total area is . At its creation in 1936, it contained 23 municipalities, but in 1990, several of these were amalgamated; Rojals was combined with Mo ...

, in

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the no ...

(

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

). It was founded by Cistercian monks from France. 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 Sant Creus.)

Significance

Poblet was one of the two royal pantheons of the kings of the

Crown of Aragon The Crown of Aragon ( , ) an, Corona d'Aragón ; ca, Corona d'Aragó, , , ; es, Corona de Aragón ; la, Corona Aragonum . was a composite monarchy ruled by one king, originated by the dynastic union of the Kingdom of Aragon and the County of ...

since

James I of Aragon James I the Conqueror ( es, Jaime el Conquistador, ca, Jaume el Conqueridor; 2 February 1208 – 27 July 1276) was King of Aragon and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1276; King of Majorca from 1231 to 1276; and Valencia from 1238 to 12 ...

(along with

Monastery of San Juan de la Peña A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which m ...

). Some of the most important royal sepulchres have

alabaster Alabaster is a mineral or rock that is soft, often used for carving, and is processed for plaster powder. Archaeologists and the stone processing industry use the word differently from geologists. The former use it in a wider sense that include ...

statues that lie over the tomb. The kings have lion sculptures at their feet, while the queens have dogs.

Peter IV of Aragon Peter IV, ; an, Pero, ; es, Pedro, . In Catalan, he may also be nicknamed ''el del punyalet'': "he of the little dagger". (Catalan: ''Pere IV''; 5 September 1319 – 6 January 1387), called the Ceremonious (Catalan: ''el Cerimoniós''), w ...

(1319 – 1387) made it a condition, under solemn oath at the moment of crowning, that all the Aragonese kings be buried there. Only

Ferdinand II of Aragon Ferdinand II ( an, Ferrando; ca, Ferran; eu, Errando; it, Ferdinando; la, Ferdinandus; es, Fernando; 10 March 1452 – 23 January 1516), also called Ferdinand the Catholic (Spanish: ''el Católico''), was King of Aragon and Sardinia fro ...

broke the oath, after his kingdom had been merged with the

Kingdom of Castile The Kingdom of Castile (; es, Reino de Castilla, la, Regnum Castellae) was a large and powerful state on the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages. Its name comes from the host of castles constructed in the region. It began in the 9th ce ...

, and was buried in

Granada Granada (,, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, at the c ...

. At the height of its splendor, the monastery was home to more than 300 monks and had numerous "Cistercian farms" run by lay brothers who exploited its agricultural land and forests. The monastery buildings occupy about 12,000 m2.

Burials

The following kings and queens of Aragon are buried at Poblet Monastery: * Alfonso II (1196) *

James I James I may refer to: People *James I of Aragon (1208–1276) *James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327) *James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu *James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347) *James I of Cyprus (1334–13 ...

(1276) * Peter IV (1387), and his first three wives

Maria of Navarre Maria of Navarre (french: Marie d'Évreux; 1329 – 29 April 1347) was Queen of Aragon from 1338 until her death as the first of four wives of Peter IV of Aragon. Childhood Maria was the second child of Joan II of Navarre and Philip III of Na ...

, Eleanor of Portugal, and

Eleanor of Sicily Eleanor of Sicily (1325–1375) was Queen of Aragon from 1349 until 1375 as the third wife of King Peter IV. Early life Eleanor was the daughter of Peter II of Sicily and Elisabeth of Carinthia. She was the second of eight children, six of who ...

John I John I may refer to: People * John I (bishop of Jerusalem) * John Chrysostom (349 – c. 407), Patriarch of Constantinople * John of Antioch (died 441) * Pope John I, Pope from 523 to 526 * John I (exarch) (died 615), Exarch of Ravenna * John I ...

(1396), and his wives,

Martha of Armagnac Martha of Armagnac (after 18 February 1347 – 23 October 1378) was the youngest child of John I, Count of Armagnac, and his second wife Beatrice of Clermont. She was the first wife of John I of Aragon but never became Queen of Aragon because she ...

and

Violant of Bar Violant of Bar (c. 1365 – 3 July 1431) was Queen of Aragon by marriage to John I of Aragon. She was active in matrimonial politics and served as "Queen-Lieutenant" (regent) of Aragon as proxy of her spouse from 1388 until 1395. Life She was the ...

Martin Martin may refer to: Places * Martin City (disambiguation) * Martin County (disambiguation) * Martin Township (disambiguation) Antarctica * Martin Peninsula, Marie Byrd Land * Port Martin, Adelie Land * Point Martin, South Orkney Islands Austr ...

(1410), and his first wife, Maria de Luna * Ferdinand I (1416), and his wife, Eleanor of Alburquerque * Alfonso V (1458) * John II (1479), and his second wife, Joana Enríquez Additional notable figures interred here include the Hungarian queen

Beatrice of Naples Beatrice of Naples (16 November 1457 – 23 September 1508), also known as Beatrice of Aragon ( hu, Aragóniai Beatrix; it, Beatrice d'Aragona), was twice Queen of Hungary and of Bohemia by marriage to Matthias Corvinus and Vladislaus II. S ...

(1508), Philip Wharton, 1st Duke of Wharton (1731) and Archduke Carlos Píus of Austria-Tuscany (1953). The tombs of the royals were restored by the Catalan sculptor Frederic Marés in 1948.

Ruin and rebuilding

The monastery, which had already suffered damage during the

First Carlist War The First Carlist War was a civil war in Spain from 1833 to 1840, the first of three Carlist Wars. It was fought between two factions over the succession to the throne and the nature of the Spanish monarchy: the conservative and devolutionist ...

, was closed down due to the Ecclesiastical Confiscations of Mendizábal in 1835 during

Isabella II of Spain Isabella II ( es, Isabel II; 10 October 1830 – 9 April 1904), was Queen of Spain from 29 September 1833 until 30 September 1868. Shortly before her birth, the King Ferdinand VII of Spain issued a Pragmatic Sanction to ensure the succes ...

's rule. The ''Desamortización'' or secularization of the place brought monastic life to an end. On 24 July of the same year the monastery was plundered by representatives of the Mendizábal's government and unruly mobs. During the events all valuable paintings and furniture were removed and dispersed. Also parts of the monastery were destroyed by fire. In the years that followed, the Monastery fell into disrepair and ruin; some of the main roofs 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 Tarragona (, ; Phoenician: ''Tarqon''; la, Tarraco) is a port city located in northeast Spain on the Costa Daurada by the Mediterranean Sea. Founded before the fifth century BC, it is the capital of the Province of Tarragona, and part of Tarr ...

, thanks to the intervention of Rev. Antoni Serret from the neighboring town of L'Espluga. Finally the monastery was refounded in 1940 by Italian monks of the same order and repair and reconstruction began. Close to the entrance of the church one building has been kept in a ruined state as a reminder. Remains of the deceased of the ancient Royal House of Aragon were put back in sepulchres, but are now co-mingled. Poblet belongs to the Cistercian Congregation of the Crown of Aragon, along with Santa Maria de Solius and convents 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 The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international coope ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

since 1991. The altar (1527) was sculpted by

Damián Forment Damián is a Czech, Slovak and Spanish male given name, which is a form of the name Damian. Damian is derived from the Greek name Δαμιανος (Damianos), from the Greek word δαμαζω (damazo), meaning "to tame" or "to master".''Behind ...

. In 2010, Spanish architect

Mariano Bayón Mariano Bayón Álvarez (born September 25, 1942) is a Spanish architect. Life and career Born in Madrid, Spain, Mariano Bayón graduated from the Superior Technical School of Architecture of Madrid (ETSAM) in 1968. Some of his major works are th ...

designed the Poblet Monastery Guesthouse.

Abbots

The current abbot is the 105th abbot. * 1954–1966 : Edmon Maria Garreta i Olivella * 1966–1970 : Robert Saladrigues * 1970–1998 : Maurus Esteva Alsina * 1998–2015 : Josep Alegre i Vilas * 2015–current : Octavi Vilà i Mayo

Gallery

Image:Plano Poblet224.jpg, Poblet ground plan File:Spain PobletMonastry Entrance.jpg, Gate File:Poblet-Reial Monestir de Poblet 15.JPG, Main

belltower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell tower ...

File:Tombs of Ferdinand I of Aragon and Eleanor of Albuquerque - Monastery of Poblet - Catalonia 2014.JPG, Tomb of Ferdinand I of Aragon and Eleanor of Albuquerque of Aragon within the Reial Monestir de Poblet File:Tomb of James I of Aragon - Monastery of Poblet - Catalonia 2014.jpg, Tomb of

File:PobletPanteo.jpg, Part of the Royal Pantheon after restoration File:Fuente de Poblet.jpg, Fountain for ablutions in one of the

cloister A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against ...

s File:MARIANO BAYÓN Nueva Hospedería del Monasterio de Poblet.JPG, Poblet Monastery Guesthouse in Tarragona.Architect

. 2010

References

External links

The "Montserrat Tarradellas i Macià" Archive
(in Catalan, Spanish and English)
Monestir de Poblet Official website

(Catalan only) {{Authority control Monasteries in Catalonia Cistercian monasteries in the Crown of Aragon Cistercian monasteries in Spain World Heritage Sites in Catalonia 1151 establishments in Europe Religious organizations established in the 1150s Catalan symbols Basilica churches in Spain Romanesque architecture in Catalonia Christian monasteries established in the 12th century Bien de Interés Cultural landmarks in the Province of Tarragona Articles containing video clips Burial sites of the House of Barcelona Burial sites of Aragonese royal houses Burial sites of the House of Trastámara Conca de Barberà