Real Monasterio de Santa Maria de Poblet, Catalonia, Spain

5Aqua_Uomo 5:00 PM Sep 14, 2019

Finally a 5-star rating
Just back from a long tour through Spain visiting historical benchmarks and this, of course, was making top of my list. Founded as early as 1150 this monastery performed a very important act in Catalonia’ political life. It was renovated in 1940, a long time after it was abandoned in 1830 and it hosts Benedict monks every since then. It is amazing how many Spanish kings and queens are resting here. It is in great shape, very well maintained, this is another reason this place is on the UNESCO heritage list. The staff is very helpful and respectful, another rare thing. Young girls mostly they come and tell you things without even asking. We were there early, another good thing, parking at discretion and very few people to step on your toes. We were lucky we got to see the cloister, as we were leaving one of the girl told us we cant go visit any longer because the monks are praying and that was off limits now. Therefore, if you are planning to visit this place go early morning, they open at 10:00, I think. I will not tell you about the church, the altar and everything else, they are all gorgeous inside out. Just go see it for yourself. I attached a bunch of beautiful pictures as well. Cheers! Founded as early as 1150 this monastery performed a very important act in Catalonia’ political life. It was renovated in 1940, a long time after it was abandoned in 1830 and it hosts Benedict monks every since then. It is amazing how many Spanish kings and queens are resting here. It is in great shape, very well maintained, this is another reason this place is on the UNESCO heritage list. The staff is very helpful and respectful, another rare thing. Young girls mostly they come and tell you things without even asking. We were there early, another good thing, parking at discretion and very few people to step on your toes. We were lucky we got to see the cloister, as we were leaving one of the girl told us we cant go visit any longer because the monks are praying and that spot was off limits now. Therefore, if you are planning to visit this place go early morning, they open at 10:00 I think. I will not tell you about the church, the altar and everything else, they are all gorgeous inside out. Just go see it for yourself. I attached a bunch of beautiful pictures as well. Cheers!

5Lella Erludóttir 5:00 PM Jun 20, 2022

Such a surprising gem
Did not know what to expect but Google told me that this place was worth visiting. So I did, with a family of 9. And wow... we were so pleasantly surprised. Beautiful locations, stunning architecture, interesting history and tradition. We loved learning about the monastery and enjoying every nook and cranny. Should not be missed if you are in the area.