The Monasterio de Santa María de la Trapa de Santa Susana, known locally as Trapa de Santa Susana or La Trapa, is a ruined monastery located on a road north of Maella in Aragon, Spain. Originally established by Benedictine monks in the 6th century, the monastery underwent several changes. It was rebuilt with the help of the Order of Calatrava in its early years, and was later given to the Cistercians in 1227.
During the time of the French Revolution, French Trappist monks were welcomed to the monastery and a thriving Trappist community was established. This community flourished until the mid 19th century, when the Ecclesiastical Confiscations of Mendizábal La Desamortización caused the exclaustration of the monks and brought monastic life on the site to an end.
According to local tradition, the monastery was named because, at some point in its history, it had housed the mortal remains of Saint Susanna, known locally as 'Virgen de Levante', the 'Levantine Virgin'. The ruins are located in isolation on one side of the road, where the graceful bell tower is very conspicuous in the relatively desolate landscape.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nik Frost
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