Santa María de Huerta Monastery in Soria: what to see, schedules, prices

El monastery of Santa María de Huerta, in the southeast of the Soria province, is one of the most beautiful samples of the cistercian architecture in all Spain.

On the Peninsula there were dozens of cistercian monasteries, but over time many were abandoned and some are currently in ruins.

That's why one visit to Santa María de Huerta, where a still blooms community of monks, is one of the best opportunities to learn about the way of life and art brought by this religious order, which was very important for centuries in different European countries.

The monastery is the center of the small town of Santa María de Huerta, which is located on the banks of the Jalon River.

Cistercian Monastery of Santa María de Huerta, near Medinaceli

This valley has been inhabited since ancient times due to the facilities it offers for agriculture and because it is an excellent communications route.

All the civilizations that have passed through the Peninsula have understood that the Jalón Valley allows better communication between the river basins ebro and the Tajo.

That is why in this area there are remains of Celtiberian forts, roman settlements, arab forts, etc.

The most outstanding example is medinaceli, which is located about 30 kilometers away and it is worth combining a visit to this historic town in Soria with that of the monastery.

And for that reason it is very easy to access since Santa Maria de Huerta is very close to the highway A-2; You just have to take the highway exit to immediately reach this monastery.

Curiosities history of the monastery of Santa María de Huerta

The first monks arrived at this place in 1162, where there was a small village called Orchards, which disappeared with the passage of time.

That is why the town we see today has emerged around the monastery itself.

The monks settled in a small building and had to wait a century until Alfonso VIII, after the conquest of Cuenca, led to the construction of a monastery.

Although it began to rise in romantic style, soon arrived gothic influences.

And then it continued to be built with other styles, always according to the time in which new buildings were built.

Santa Maria de Huerta It acquired great importance from its early years.

The proof is that Rodrigo Jiménez de Radawhich was archbishop of Toledo and participated in the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa, wanted to be buried here.

Its period of splendor corresponds to the 16th and 17th centuries, to which a good part of the rooms that we can see today correspond.

The monks abandoned the monastery due to the exclaustration of 1835, but a small community returned in 1930 and remains today.

Since a community of monks, there are some parts that cannot be accessed, but the visit can give us a good idea of ​​the complex, its history and its artistic and cultural importance.

Throughout the route we can observe one of the main characteristics of the cistercian architecture which is the sobriety of all its elements.

This is seen in the straight, bare stones and in the absence of sculptural representations, an aspect that contrasts with the Romanesque taste.

The reason must be found in avoiding distractions and being able to dedicate yourself to your declared objective, which is the search for god.

How to visit and what to see in the monastery of Santa María de Huerta

If we arrive with our car, it is best to park in the parking lot that we will see before arriving at the monastery.

In this place is the Santa María de Huerta Tourism Office, and if you need it, you also find an ATM.

The first thing we are going to see are the walls that surround the monastery and measure more than a kilometer. In this set, they stand out eight small towers.

This wall not only provides privacy for the monks; It is also the memory that it was built on the border between the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon.

Monumental door in Santa María de Huerta

To access the monastery we pass through a monumental gate and immediately we see the church facade.

It is partly covered by the construction of some later units, but the 12th century doorway and, above, the large rose window.

On the right hand side we can see a good mockup of the set, which can give us an idea of ​​the distribution of the different buildings that make up the monastery.

Just in front of the cover we can see the remains of the narthex, the porch that stood in front of the entrance.

Entry is made through sotochorus, where we can see several altarpieces. A large 18th century fence allows us to have a vision of the church.

To the left we find a small store, where we can purchase tickets.

Audiovisual of the history of the monastery

This visit can begin, as the monks recommend, by seeing a Visual Media which provides a lot of information about the monastery and its history. It is projected in the cilla, the grain store.

The visit itself begins on one side of the gothic cloister, where we see the entrance to the church.

The temple follows the usual characteristics of Cistercian art: it has a Latin cross, it has three naves and the chapels open from the transept.

The one that stands out is the Capilla Mayor, with different paintings, some representing scenes from the aforementioned Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa, And a 18th century altarpiece.

There are also the empty niches of the Dukes of Medinaceli.

We must return to the cloister, around which the monks have always organized their lives.

Gothic Cloister of the Knights

As in other monasteries, it is known as the Cloister of the Knights since different noblemen and rich men in the area chose to be buried around it.

To reach the entrance to the cloister we will pass by the Royal flush which leads to the upper floor.

If we enter the cloister, we will see that the ground floor and the first floor are quite different.

The ground floor, from the 13th century, is a set of Gothic style arches or ogives. The top is plateresque, from the XVI.

Here the medallions representing kings and biblical characters. They also appear the sun and the moon.

Refectory, artistic jewel of Santa María de Huerta

In front of the entrance to the cloister is the entrance to the Monks Refectoryprobably the architectural gem and the most impressive space of the monastery.

Surprising for its large dimensions and sixpartite vault that covers the whole.

The vault rests directly on the walls by truncated columns.

The large and numerous pointed windows provide magnificent lighting. We can see that the stained glass windows are white, another example of Cistercian sobriety, which avoids colored ones.

Another wonder of refectory is staircase leading to the pulpit, embedded in the wall.

This refectory is unique within the architecture of the Cistercian Order.

This venue has been used for decades to carry out concerts, especially during the summer.

Large monastery kitchen

Following the monks' refectory is the great kitchen, organized around a monumental chimney from the 13th century.

And next to it, the refectory of the converts or the laymen, very different from that of the monks.

Here attention is drawn to the Romanesque-Mudejar columns and the arches.

The visit ends at herrerian cloister from the 16th-17th centuries, around which the daily life of current monks develops.

In the garden we see two statuesthose of Martin de Finojosa y Rodrigo Ximénez de Rada, the two fundamental characters in the history of the monastery.

Schedules and prices for visits to Santa María de Huerta

Finally, here you have information on Visiting hours and ticket prices at the Monastery of Santa María de Huerta.

Map: how to get to Santa María de Huerta

El monastery of Santa María de Huerta is two hours from Madrid on the A-2, and an hour and a half from Zaragoza.