Rueda Abbey or Rueda de Ebro Abbey ( es, Real Monasterio de Nuestra Señora de Rueda, or the "Royal Monastery of Our Lady of the Wheel") is a former
Cistercian monastery in
Sástago in the
Ribera Baja del Ebro
Ribera Baja del Ebro is a comarca in eastern Aragon, Spain. It is part of the historical region of Lower Aragon. The most important town is Quinto.
It is located by the River Ebro about 40 km south-east of Zaragoza. The traditional economy ...
comarca,
province of Zaragoza
Zaragoza (), also called Saragossa in English,''Encyclopædia Britannica''Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)/ref> is a province of northern Spain, in the central part of the autonomous community of Aragon.
Its capital is Zaragoza, which is also t ...
,
Aragon,
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")
, i ...
, 74 kilometres to the south-east of
Zaragoza
Zaragoza, also known in English as Saragossa,''Encyclopædia Britannica'"Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)" is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributari ...
on the left bank of the
Ebro
, name_etymology =
, image = Zaragoza shel.JPG
, image_size =
, image_caption = The Ebro River in Zaragoza
, map = SpainEbroBasin.png
, map_size =
, map_caption = The Ebro ...
. The buildings have been preserved by the government and are intended to be used for a hotel and conference centre.
History
Early history
The first Cistercian monastery was founded in
Cîteaux,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
in the year 1089. Thence four daughter abbeys were spawned, including in the year 1115 one in
Morimond
Morimond Abbey is a religious complex in Parnoy-en-Bassigny, Haute-Marne department, in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France. It was the fourth of the four great daughter abbeys of Cîteaux Abbey, of primary importance in the spread of the Ci ...
, France. Monks from the
Morimond Abbey
Morimond Abbey is a religious complex in Parnoy-en-Bassigny, Haute-Marne department, in the Champagne-Ardenne region of France. It was the fourth of the four great daughter abbeys of Cîteaux Abbey, of primary importance in the spread of the Ci ...
founded the
Gimont Abbey in France in 1152. The monks of Gimont received a land grant in Burjazud (
Villanueva de Gállego
Villanueva de Gállego is a municipality located in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given ...
, north of Zaragoza), Spain in 1162 but the monastery was not built there. This land was augmented by a grant from King
Alfonso II of Aragon in 1182 to include the riverside steep castle and village of
Escatrón, about 50 km south-east downstream from Zaragoza. After two more decades the Real Monasterio de Nuestra Señora de Rueda was founded on the banks of the
Ebro
, name_etymology =
, image = Zaragoza shel.JPG
, image_size =
, image_caption = The Ebro River in Zaragoza
, map = SpainEbroBasin.png
, map_size =
, map_caption = The Ebro ...
River, next to a fluvial island and a salt lagoon (~12 km North).
The principal works had begun by the end of the first quarter of the 13th century, and the first church was consecrated before the year 1238. A
lavatorium was constructed in the 13th century. The
cloisters
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 ...
were designed using a
barrel vaulted stonework construction. By the beginning of the early 15th century the old
Abbot
Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The ...
's Palace, the farm support buildings and laity area were complete. From the early founding the monks conducted important hydrological works including a dam on the Ebro and creation of a massive
waterwheel or "rueda". The waterwheel diverted some of the river flow to a
Gothic aqueduct for distribution to various parts of the monastery; moreover, many of the water channels and plumbing uses are readily visible today. This series of
hydrological
Hydrology () is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle, water resources, and environmental watershed sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is calle ...
innovations was an early example of indoor plumbing and waste disposal as well as a bona fide
central heating
A central heating system provides warmth to a number of spaces within a building from one main source of heat. It is a component of heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (short: HVAC) systems, which can both cool and warm interior spaces.
...
system.
In the uninhabited Muslim frontier, the monks developed many useful implements, such as the salt mule track, saltwork equipment, a fluvial pier, a fluvial mule barge transport, an oil mill, a flour mill, a stone irrigation ditch with a waterwheel, a vineyard, a wine cellar, and an orchard surrounded by a sentry-boxed wall.
Modern era
Further improvements and more elaborate reconstructions took place in the 16th and 17th centuries, especially around the principal square. Noteworthy is the
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history
The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...
arcade
Arcade most often refers to:
* Arcade game, a coin-operated game machine
** Arcade cabinet, housing which holds an arcade game's hardware
** Arcade system board, a standardized printed circuit board
* Amusement arcade, a place with arcade games
* ...
in
Herrerian
The Herrerian style ( es, estilo herreriano or ''arquitectura herreriana'') of architecture was developed in Spain during the last third of the 16th century under the reign of Philip II (1556–1598), and continued in force in the 17th centu ...
style that connects the medieval building complex with the Abbot's Palace. Thence a range of further new
novice
A novice is a person who has entered a religious order and is under probation, before taking vows. A ''novice'' can also refer to a person (or animal e.g. racehorse) who is entering a profession with no prior experience.
Religion Buddhism
...
s' rooms and bedrooms were built behind the arcade.
The Royal Gateway, a
gatehouse
A gatehouse is a type of fortified gateway, an entry control point building, enclosing or accompanying a gateway for a town, religious house, castle, manor house, or other fortification building of importance. Gatehouses are typically the mo ...
structure dating from the 17th and 18th centuries, serves as the modern day entrance to the entire complex.
19th century to present
As a result of the