The abbey of Santa María la Real de la Oliva, or simply ''La Oliva'', is a

Cistercian The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, 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 Benedict, as well as the contri ...

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

Carcastillo Carcastillo is a town and municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, in the north of Spain. It is located 70 km from its capital, Pamplona. Until the middle of the 19th century it belonged to the abbey of Santa M ...

Navarre Navarre ( ; ; ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre, is a landlocked foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Autonomous Community, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and New Aquitaine in France. ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. An example of

Cistercian architecture Cistercian architecture is a style of architecture associated with the churches, monasteries and abbeys of the Roman Catholic Cistercian Order. It was heavily influenced by Bernard of Clairvaux (d. 1153), who believed that churches should avoid ...

, the buildings have been protected by a heritage listing since 1880,Heritage database.

Ministry of Culture Ministry of Culture may refer to: * Ministry of Tourism, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports (Albania) * Ministry of Culture (Algeria) * Ministry of Culture (Argentina) * Minister for the Arts (Australia) * Ministry of Culture (Azerbaijan)Ministry o ...

br>
/ref> and the site is currently classed as a ''

Bien de Interés Cultural (, , , ) is a category of the heritage register in Spain. The term is also used in Colombia and other Spanish-speaking countries. The term literally means a "good of cultural interest" ("goods" in the economic sense). It includes not only mater ...

'', the ''Ex-monasterio Cisterciense de Santa María de la Oliva''. Within

, it is part of a large number of Cistercian monasteries such as

Fitero Fitero is a town and municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, northern Spain. The Monastery of Fitero The Monastery of Fitero ( or ''Monasterio de Santa María de Nienzebas'') is a Cistercian monastery locat ...

Tulebras Tulebras is a town and municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, northern Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. F ...

or Iranzu.

Description

A Cistercian Monastery established in the 12th century, the present buildings date from 13th - 15th centuries. The spacious church, an authentic example of the incipient Cistercian art in the Iberian Peninsula. Its cloister, of Gothic style, the chapter house and the chapel of Saint Jesus Christ, testify to the great artistic importance of this monastery.

History

Construction at the site is attributed first in 1134 to King

García Ramírez of Navarre García Ramírez (), sometimes García IV, V, VI or VII ( 1112 – 21 November 1150), called the Restorer (, ), was the King of Navarre (Pamplona) from 1134. The election of García Ramírez restored the independence of the Navarrese kingdom af ...

, known as ''the restorer''. This king died in 1150 and the same year the abbey was founded, or refounded, as a

daughter house A dependency, among monastic orders, denotes the relation of a monastic community with a newer community that it has founded elsewhere. The relationship is that of the founding abbey or conventual priory, termed the motherhouse, with a monastery ...

of the Morimond and Escaladieu Abbeys. After the dissolution of the monastery the retable was moved to

Tafalla Tafalla is a town and municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, northern Spain. Tafalla lies 30 km south of Pamplona, in the valley of the Zidacos river, which is a tributary of the Aragón. The population in Janua ...

References

External links

Official website
Bien de Interés Cultural landmarks in Navarre Maria Oliva Cistercian monasteries in Spain 12th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Spain Maria Oliva Romanesque architecture in Navarre {{Spain-Christian-monastery-stub

Description

History

See also

References

External links