Santa María de Sandoval Monastery

Mansilla Mayor, Spain

Santa María de Sandoval Monastery was built on land donated in 1142 by Alfonso VII to Count Pedro Ponce de Minerva and his wife Estefanía Ramírez.

After receiving numerous donations and possessing extensive territories, it entered decadence in the fifteenth century. In 1592 and 1615 it was grass of the flames, reason for which it had to be rebuilt. The permanence of the monks remained until 1835, date in which the exclaustrado with the confiscation of Mendizábal took place.

Its architectural layout responds to that indicated by the Cistercian Rule. It has two great cloisters, although the one that is conserved is realized in century XVII, in him it maintains the severity of the Chapter Room.

The church is of plant of Latin cross, with three ships, cruiser and semicircular apses. The primitive gateway by the north gable, is Romanesque, and presents a unique resolution of its archivolts. The west, which is now the entrance, is a pointed arch, standing out its beauty by the simplicity of its construction and decorative elements based on floral elements, figures of monks and the calvary of the tympanum of the door. In the south gable rises the belfry that is of later times.

In its interior they emphasize the sarcophagi of the founders, arranged to both sides of the altar, in the middle mounted the major altarpiece in which participated between 1605 and 1618 Pedro Sánchez, Cistercian monk

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Address

Avenida del Monasterio 1011, Mansilla Mayor, Spain
See all sites in Mansilla Mayor

Details

Founded: 1142
Category: Religious sites in Spain

More Information

www.turismocastillayleon.com

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

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User Reviews

Daniel Faix (15 months ago)
Beautiful ...really need to be renovated and preserved as national patrimoine
Mercedes Sa. Vega (15 months ago)
Un lugar q transmite paz y tranquilidad como los monjes deseaban al elegir el sitio.
Lia Diez (16 months ago)
Perdido en un pueblo apartado de la carretera general se encuentra este magnífico monasterio que merece la pena conocer. Esperemos que lo acaben de rehabilitar. Visita recomendada
Bodil Beier (16 months ago)
Meget forsømt. Kirken lukket. Ingen pile til at vise vej. Men idyllisk landskab
カステロロシオ (17 months ago)
Monasterio de Santa María de Sandoval, se encuentra en el término de Villaverde de Sandoval, municipio de Mansilla Mayor, provincia de León. La presencia humana, en esta zona se remonta a la prehistoria, los signos más evidentes de ocupación se asocian gentes de la edad del bronce, asentados donde está la ciudad astur, de Lancia, en el término de Villasabariego muy próxima a Villamoros de Mansilla. Con la conquista de dicha ciudad por el general romano Publio Carisio, astures y romanos convivieron estas tierras hasta finales del siglo. Posteriormente se benefició de la política de repoblación de Alfonso III, asentándose en estos lugares asturianos, gallegos, cántabros y mozárabes. Más tarde llegarían los monjes cistercienses para fundar el monasterio de Sandoval. Así fue humanizandose estos parajes, hasta la actual conformación municipal, dejando de pertenecer en el siglo XIX, al ayuntamiento de Sabariego. En Villaverde de Sandoval está el monumento más importante del Ayuntamiento, se trata del monasterio cisterciense de Santa María de Sandoval. Se construyó sobre terrenos donados en 1.142 por Alfonso VII al Conde Pedro Ponce de Minerva y a su esposa Estefanía Ramírez, en 1.167, el mismo Conde los cedió a los monjes del monasterio vallisoletano de la Espina para que allí construyeran otro, las obras debieron iniciarse a finales del siglo XII fue habitado hasta 1835, en que se produjo el exclausurado con la desamortización de Mendizábal. Posee dos grandes claustros, aunque el que se conserva es el realizado en el siglo XVII. La Iglesia es de planta de cruz latina con tres naves crucero y absides semicirculares. La primitiva puerta de acceso por hastial norte es románica y presenta una singular resolución de sus arquivoltas. La del Oeste qué es ahora la de entrada, es de arco apuntado, destaca su belleza por la sencillez de construcción y elementos decorativos. En el hastial sur se levanta la espadaña de tiempos posteriores. En su interior destacan los dos sarcófagos de los fundadores dispuestos a ambos lados del altar. En el medio se montó el retablo mayor en el que participó entre 1.605 y 1.618, Pedro Sánchez, monje cisterciense. Interesante el retablillo del trasaltar obra del siglo XVII, con una sucesión de bustos relicarios. Fue declarado Monumento Histórico en 1931, y del que se ha realizado un plan director para su recuperación. Es la Iglesia del pueblo y sigue con el culto todos los Domingos y algún día especial, también se encuentra dentro del perímetro del convento, el cementerio.
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