Monastery of Santa Maria

The Monasterio de Santa Maria is a Gothic-style church and Renaissance-style monastery located in the town of El Puig.

In 1237, King Jaume I built a church on this hill, when the priest Peter Nolasco found hidden under a fallen bell, a Byzantine icon of Our Lady of the Angels (Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles). Assuming this had survived the Moorish occupation, a church was completed by 1240 and affiliated with the Mercedarian order. Soon the church was insufficient for the flood of pilgrims seeking favors from the patroness of the Kingdom of Valencia, and in 1300, the present gothic church was built. In 1588 the imposing monastery was built.

From the monastery, one can visit the cloisters; the Salón Real, used by monarchs on their visits to Valencia; the Salón Gótico of Jaume I; and the Salón of Ceramics.

References:

Wikipedia

Address

Carrer Joanot Martorell 6, El Puig, Spain

See all sites in El Puig

Details

Founded: 1588
Category: Religious sites in Spain

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

David Gloss (2 months ago)
Very interesting and historical building. Hope the Government or private individuals put money into restoration, particularly of the priceless paintings.

Natashia Ann (2 months ago)
The Monastery of Santa Maria is absolutely breathtaking. I do suggest bringing a handheld fan with you as there isn't any air flow other than a few open windows.

C Production (14 months ago)
I was there for a wedding reception. Great venue with a lot of historic charm. Great vistas to take memorable photos. Tapas was amazing as was the dinner.

Jose Gregorio Lepervanche Valencia (4 years ago)
We have been in the Monastery several times with friends. The guided tour is great and normally all the questions are well answered. The monastery is connected to the church and the chapel behind the altar is great. The building also host the Printing and Graphic Art Museum.

Mirage Cz (4 years ago)
Great renowned historical place not far from Valencia. Train to Puig costs 3,50 e and entrance with guided tour 4 euro. Plus free museum of printing. Worthy to visit!

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Photo from Flickr, copyright Predrag Bubalo

Historic Site of the week

Herceg Novi Old Town

Herceg Novi was founded (on a former small fishing village, existing since Roman Empire times) as a fortress in 1382 by first Bosnian King Stjepan Tvrtko I and was called Sveti Stefan or Castelnuovo. The Turks conquered Herceg Novi in 1482, and ruled for 200 years, until 1687. However, there was a short pause between 1538 and 1539 when it was held by the Spaniards before they were defeated in the Siege of Castelnuovo. Turkey ruled again until 1687, from then until 1797, the town was ruled by the Venetian Republic.

The Herceg Novi old town is amazing. It is on a fairly steep hill that leads all the way down to the sea. Wandering through the small stairways to the various plazas and fortresses is a many hour adventure.