MONASTERY OF FITERO
“Spanish monastery architecture never produced anything so grandiose”
Vicente Lampérez
Prized by kings, bishops and nobles, and considered one of the ten wonders of Navarre, the Fitero monastery was founded in 1410, and it can lay claim to being the first Cistercian monastery built in the Iberian Peninsula. They were times of war and, in fact, San Raimundo, the first abbot of Fitero, was the founder of the Calatrava military order in 1158.
This monastery, which has been a national monument since 1931, is an architectural jewel of the Middle Ages that was expanded in the 16th and 18th centuries. It’s made up of a vast complex that is very tall and large, especially the main nave and the prism shaped tower that dominates the complex.
A LITTLE HISTORY
The founding of the Fitero monastery (1140) by Alfonso VII of Castile opened the doors of Spain to the Cistercians, who rapidly spread through the various Christian kingdoms of the Iberian Peninsula. With the White Monks a fervid renewal of monastic life was begun based in a return to the primitive rigour of the rule of Saint Benedict.
Austerity and equilibrium between prayer, reading and manual labour distinguished the life of the White Monks, who created 75 monasteries from Portugal to Catalonia. Navarre played a major role in that panorama, with La Oliva (1149), Iranzu (1178), Leire (1237) and Marcilla (1407), in addition to Fitero since 1373.
As a medieval complex belonging to the Cistercians, the Fitero monastery has the characteristics of a type of architecture that has been classified by art historians with several properties.
OPENING HOURS AND VISITS
You can currently visit the cloister of the monastery and the other buildings, like the abbot church.
All the information can be found at Fitero Cisterciense.
