The Monasterio de Santa María de El Paular (Santa María de El Paular Monastery) is a former

Carthusian The Carthusians, also known as the Order of Carthusians ( la, Ordo Cartusiensis), are a Latin enclosed religious order of the Catholic Church. The order was founded by Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns. The order has its ...

monastery (Spanish ''cartuja'', "charterhouse") located just northwest of

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

, in the town of

Rascafría Rascafría is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality of the Community of Madrid, Spain. In its territory is the Monastery of Santa Maria de El Paular. Transport system The only way to arrive to Rascafría is with bus lines 194 and 194A. ...

, located in the Valley of Lozoya below the

Sierra de Guadarrama The Sierra de Guadarrama (Guadarrama Mountains) is a mountain range forming the main eastern section of the Sistema Central, the system of mountain ranges along the centre of the Iberian Peninsula. It is located between the systems Sierra de G ...

History

Construction is believed to have begun in 1390 by orders of

Henry II of Castile Henry II (13 January 1334 – 29 May 1379), called Henry of Trastámara or the Fratricidal (''el Fratricida''), was the first King of Castile and León from the House of Trastámara. He became king in 1369 by defeating his half-brother Peter the ...

, and construction proceeded for fifty years under his son,

John I of Castile John I ( es, Juan I; 24 August 1358 – 9 October 1390) was King of Castile and León from 1379 until 1390. He was the son of Henry II and of his wife Juana Manuel of Castile. Biography His first marriage, to Eleanor of Aragon on 18 June 1375, ...

. It was sited where an old chapel stood. Supposedly he was spurred to this project due to his plundering of a

chartreuse Chartreuse () may refer to: Food and drink * Chartreuse (liqueur), a French liqueur * Chartreuse (dish), a French dish of vegetables or meat tightly wrapped in vegetable leaves and cooked in a mould Religion * Carthusians, a Catholic religi ...

during a campaign in France. This was the first chartreuse in Castille and Leon. In 1403, a small adjacent palace was built under Rodrigo Alonso. Multiple architects contributed to the complex, including

Juan Guas Juan Guas (c. 1430-33 – c. 1496) was a Spanish artist and architect of French origin. He worked in a group of architects to create the Isabelline style. Born in Saint-Pol-de-Léon, he moved to Spain when he was young, and is often thought t ...

Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón (1500–1577) was a Spanish architect of the Renaissance. He was born at Rascafría. His work alternated the late gothic with the renaissance style. His workings include the Palace of Monterrey in Salamanca, the Palac ...

Francisco Hurtado Francisco is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the masculine given name ''Franciscus''. Nicknames In Spanish, people with the name Francisco are sometimes nicknamed "Paco". San Francisco de Asís was known as ''Pater Comunitatis'' (father of ...

and

Vicente Acero Vicente Acero y Arebo (c. 1675/1680 – 1739) was a Spanish Baroque architecture, Baroque architect who contributed significantly to the design and construction of the cathedrals of Granada Cathedral, Granada, Guadix Cathedral, Guadix, Cádiz ...

. The refectory was designed in a

Moorish The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or se ...

style.

Panda Oeste - Conopilaes - Monasterio Paular

The monastery was dissolved in 1835, and not till 1876 was some state protection afforded to the site. Since 1954, part of the monastery is occupied by the

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

order; while part was a private luxury hotel, operating as the Sheraton Santa Maria de El Paular, for many years, until it closed in 2014.

Design

The spectacular late-

Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

decorations of the chapel of the sacristy and its '' Transparente'' (mid-18th century) by

Francisco Hurtado Izquierdo Francisco Hurtado Izquierdo y Fernández (10 February 1669 – 30 June 1725) was a Spanish architect of the Baroque period, author of the Sancta Sanctorum (sacristy) in the Granada Charterhouse. He was born and educated in Priego de Córdoba ...

and containing polychromatic marbles,

solomonic columns The Solomonic column, also called Barley-sugar column, is a helix, helical column, characterized by a spiraling twisting shaft like a corkscrew. It is not associated with a specific classical order, although most examples have Corinthian order, Cor ...

, and gilded leafwork, contrast with the rocky serene simpleness of the cloisters. The silver decoration of the church included a silver “custodia” weighing some 24

arroba ''Arroba'' is a Portuguese and Spanish custom unit of weight, mass or volume. Its symbol is @. History The word ''arroba'' has its origin in Arabic ''ar-rubʿ'' (الربع) or "quarter," specifically the fourth part (of a quintal), which defi ...

s (approximately 15 kilogram per arroba), which among with many other items, was probably looted by Napoleon's troops. There is a large 15th-century carved wood

reredos A reredos ( , , ) is a large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar in a church. It often includes religious images. The term ''reredos'' may also be used for similar structures, if elaborate, in secular architecture, for ex ...

in excellent condition, and a fine ironwork screen segregating the monastic choir from the nave.

Collections

While it still has an interesting library, its once famous collection of books and maps has been dispersed. In 1755, an earthquake damaged the tower and nave roof. Missing from the site are 52 paintings by

Vincenzo Carducci Vincenzio Carduccio (in Spanish, sometimes ''Vicencio'' or Vicente Carducho; 1576 or 1578–1638) was an Italian painter who spent his career in Spain. Biography He was born in Florence, and was trained as a painter by his brother Ba ...

on the life of St. Bruno and other devotional incidents. The paintings are in local museums, including the

Prado The Prado Museum ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum An art museum or art gallery is a building or space for the display of art, usually from the museum's own collection. It migh ...

in Madrid. The paintings were returned to the monastery after restoration in 2011.Los cartujos de Carducho regresan a El Paular
Museo Nacional del Prado. Parts of both monastery and hotel are open for visits by the public.

References

External links

Official website

{{DEFAULTSORT:El Paular Carthusian monasteries in Spain Benedictine monasteries in Spain Monasteries in the community of Madrid 1835 disestablishments in Spain 1390 establishments in Europe Bien de Interés Cultural landmarks in the Community of Madrid 14th century in Castile