By the looks of it, this religious environment appears like it has been built just recently even though it was initially constructed during the 12th-century. This Cistercian monastery's architecture is perfectly presented in its current mint condition, thanks to the dedicated preservation efforts. The scene below is the one I admire the most due to how the surrounding stone walls have been designed in such a way that leads our full attention to the elaborate golden altar at the center of the main church. A spectacular work of architectural genius indeed @juancar347! Thank you for your awesome publication!
The church is part of the oldest elements of the monastery. In fact, as you will see from its incredible height and the shape of the vaults, it could be said that it belongs to a proto-Gothic period, like many other buildings that progressively moved away from their Romanesque precedents. It is a monastery with a lot of history, to the point that each historical period influenced its growth in some way, demolishing old elements, such as the old Romanesque cloister, replacing them with new ones, such as Plateresque, a style that prevailed in that XV century. XVI when the current one was undertaken. It is also true that this place, like many others of its kind, suffered, in the 18th century, the effects of the so-called Mendizábal Confiscation, by which the State appropriated ecclesiastical property, to the point of influencing the ruin of many of them. After this period and others of unfortunate memory, such as the War of Independence of 1808, or the cruelest still, the Civil War of 1936, the historical-artistic heritage suffered a real debacle, which meant that many buildings had to be rehabilitated. and not always with the best techniques. But still, I think this monastery is a good example, both artistic and architectural, with which to speculate and debate at length. Originally, and I answer your comment about the Main Chapel, these chapels used to have Romanesque paintings that made them authentic 'Sixtin Chapels'. With the arrival of the so-called Baroque art, the fashion came to cover them with altarpieces, generally ornate, which subtracted a good part of their original charm. but this is also a matter of opinion. Thank you very much for your comment and kind regards.
Oh wow! So many historical facts and profound stories behind those stone walls and architectural details. This is what makes buildings such as this one truly interesting to further discover that words are simply not enough to describe them. All the best and have a great day!
Certain. Thank you very much and a good day to you too.