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Poblet Monastery

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guide visit monastery santa maria poblet baroque gate
The baroque gate of the church of the Poblet monastery. Photo: Xiquinho Silva
The Royal Monastery of Santa Maria de Poblet, one of the best examples of Cistercian monasteries, is located halfway between Tarragona and Lleida, at the foot of the Serra de Montsant mountain. It is one of the most important abbey complexes in Europe, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991.

Founded in 1151, the monastery was the royal pantheon of the Crown of Aragon from the end of the 14th century to the 15th century, when it reached its maximum splendor. The monastic complex consists of 3 well-differentiated enclosures intercommunicated by doorways. The central enclosure constitutes the monastery itself.

Highlights

✔ The church, the most notable part of the monastery, has a basilica plan with three naves and crossing. The north and central nave are Romanesque, while the south nave is Gothic. The great octagonal dome is gothic, with large windows. In the high altar we find an altarpiece made in alabaster, Renaissance style (16th century).
✔ The royal tombs (the Royal Chapel), built in the 14th century and located on the transept of the monastery church, constitute the most important and rich Gothic funerary sculptural group elaborated in Catalonia.
✔ The cloister (12th-13th centuries).
✔ The Chapter house, symmetrical and with considerable proportions, covered with a magnificent ribbed vault.
✔ The Palace of the King Martin the Human, considered like one of the jewels of the civil Gothic art in Catalonia.
✔ The walls, that delimit a triple enclosure defended by 12 polygonal-shaped towers.
✔ The baroque door that gives access to the atrium of the church (16th century).
✔ The Royal Gate, squeezed between two prismatic towers. It is a military building of the fourteenth century.
✔ The small cloister of Saint Stephen, of almost rectangular plant, located in the east end. It was rebuilt in the 15th century.
✔ The gothic chapel of Saint George, commanded by Alfonso V of Aragon the Magnanimous, in thanksgiving for the victory obtained in the campaign of the conquest of Naples in 1442.
✔ The Restoration Museum.
✔ Museum of the Palace of King Martin.

Contact
Monestir de Poblet
Poblet (Tarragona) 43448
www.poblet.cat (sp)
visita@poblet.cat
Tel.: +34 977 870 089
Opening times
Monday to Saturday: 10am - 12.30am and 3pm - 6.30pm
Sundays and holidays: 10.30am - 12.30am and 3pm - 6.30pm
Prices
General admission: 8€
Reduced admission: 6€
Accommodation near the monastery