The Monastery of Santa María la Real de las Huelgas is one of the oldest monasteries of Cistercian nuns in Spain. It was founded in the 13th century and its history is marked by several moves before it found its permanent home. The current monastery is located within the city of Valladolid in the Duero region.
The name 'Santa María la Real de las Huelgas' indicates that it was founded by some member of the Spanish royal family. The monastery was originally founded by a member of the ruling family, most likely Queen María de Molina, but the exact founder is obscure. She gave the community a palace used as a place of rest following a fire in 1282, only a gateway from the palace survives, a unique example of Mudéjar art, the Islamic art that flourished in Spain, in Valladolid.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nik Frost
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