The Monastery of San Antolín de Bedón was built at the mouth of the River Bedón, near the coast and the sea.
Its year of construction is unknown, being first mentioned in the 12th century. The only evidence that remains is the church, which corresponds to the late Romanesque, in transition towards the Gothic, the style suggested by the use of the pointed arch. The ground plan is that of a basilica, with three naves at different heights, separated by pointed arches resting on simple pillars, except for those in the transept and the apse, which are more ornate. It ends in a chevet with three semi-circular cul-de-four apses, which jut out of the east end. The system of ceilings is hierarchically conceived: the naves are covered with a wooden framework, while groin and pointed barrel vaulting is used in the transept.
The outside of the church is characterized by the use of ashlar and buttresses, where a marked escalation in volumes can be appreciated, as the roofs of the naves are at different heights, the central nave standing out above the other two. Horizontal mouldings and windows serve to break the exterior monotony of the semi-circular walls of the apse. Despite the decorative sobriety of the church, sculptural decoration survives due to its didactic character, occupying outdoor areas, such as the corbels of the eaves protecting the portals. The church has two portals; the west-facing portal has five pointed archivolts, with a cornice adorned with beautiful anthropomorphic (hunters), animalistic (fowl) and plants corbels. The south-facing portal presents a very similar structure and ornamentation. One of them was used to connect the church with the monastery. The ensemble conveys the image of austerity of the Cistercian Order, based on the lack of ornamentation and a scarcity of decorative aesthetics.
References:Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.
Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.
There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.