Poblet Monastery

About

Founded in the 12th century by Cistercian monks as a place of quiet, the order continued working on Poblet Monastery through the 15th century. The Monastery consists of three distinct areas, enclosed by a defensive wall. The first ring is from the 16th century, and contains buildings focused on monastic industry such as storehouses and workshops, as well as the 15th century Gothic chapel of Sant Jordi, built in 1452. The fortified Golden Door opens to the Main Square, which is surrounded by the remains of the hospital for the poor, the Romanesque chapel of Santa Caterina and the treasury. The fortified, innermost area is home to the church, cloister and monastic rooms. The monastery also housed a royal residence, and was a pantheon for the Kings of Aragon beginning in the early 1300s. Here, generations of the royal family are in tombs of ornately sculpted alabaster.