Monastery of Santa María de Villanueva de Oscos, Villanueva de Oscos, Spain

Monasterio de Santa María de Villanueva de Oscos was founded in the 12th century as a Benedictine house. The monastic community was closed by the ecclesiastical confiscations of Mendizábal. The church has remained in use as a parish church.

The cartulary preserves 616 parchments about the Middle Ages: 32 from the 12th century, 261 from the 13th century, 224 from the 14th century and 99 from the 15th century.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Carlos López (4 months ago)
We can contemplate its beautiful architecture, although it is under restoration, it is worth the visit.

Jose de dios (8 months ago)
Interesting but I would like to know more and have more to discover about the site. It is empty, let's see if we put the batteries in Spain and value our heritage more. and if the Church does not want to spend money, that it belongs to the State and that the subsequent benefits go to the State ...

Luis Miguel Carpio (8 months ago)
The curious church. Much better, explained. Good guide! The monastery, abandoned. At least it seems that the townspeople use it sometimes ... that's good!

José Muñoz (8 months ago)
A wonderful place in a spectacular setting. I am not giving it 5 stars because it is a shame that it is in the dilapidated state it is in.

Fernando Yagüe (9 months ago)
Impressive and in turn a shame that it cannot be restored. Some guide is missed but it can be visited perfectly. A must stop site.

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German crusaders known as the Livonian Brothers of the Sword began construction of the Cēsis castle (Wenden) near the hill fort in 1209. When the castle was enlarged and fortified, it served as the residence for the Order's Master from 1237 till 1561, with periodic interruptions. Its ruins are some of the most majestic castle ruins in the Baltic states. Once the most important castle of the Livonian Order, it was the official residence for the masters of the order.

In 1577, during the Livonian War, the garrison destroyed the castle to prevent it from falling into the control of Ivan the Terrible, who was decisively defeated in the Battle of Wenden (1578).

In 1598 it was incorporated into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and Wenden Voivodship was created here. In 1620 Wenden was conquered by Sweden. It was rebuilt afterwards, but was destroyed again in 1703 during the Great Northern War by the Russian army and left in a ruined state. Already from the end of the 16th century, the premises of the Order's castle were adjusted to the requirements of the Cēsis Castle estate. When in 1777 the Cēsis Castle estate was obtained by Count Carl Sievers, he had his new residence house built on the site of the eastern block of the castle, joining its end wall with the fortification tower.

Since 1949, the Cēsis History Museum has been located in this New Castle of the Cēsis Castle estate. The front yard of the New Castle is enclosed by a granary and a stable-coach house, which now houses the Exhibition Hall of the Museum. Beside the granary there is the oldest brewery in Latvia, Cēsu alus darītava, which was built in 1878 during the later Count Sievers' time, but its origins date back to the period of the Livonian Order. Further on, the Cēsis Castle park is situated, which was laid out in 1812. The park has the romantic characteristic of that time, with its winding footpaths, exotic plants, and the waters of the pond reflecting the castle's ruins. Nowadays also one of the towers is open for tourists.

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