Benifassà Monastery

Cistercian Abbey of Benifassà
Monasterio de Santa Maria in La Pobla de Benifassà
location	Spain Province of Castellón
Coordinates:	40 ° 40 '35 "  N , 0 ° 11' 53.7"  E Coordinates: 40 ° 40 '35 "  N , 0 ° 11' 53.7"  E
Serial number according to Janauschek	619
founding year	1235
Year of dissolution / annulment	1835
Year of repopulation	1968 by Carthusians
Mother monastery	Poblet Monastery
Primary Abbey	Clairvaux Monastery

The Benifassà Monastery ( Valencian Real Convent de Santa Maria de Benifassà ; Spanish Benifasar ; Benifazanum ) is a former Cistercian abbey in the municipality of La Pobla de Benifassà in the Comarca Bajo Maestrazgo of the province of Castellón in the Valencia region in Spain , in the rolling hills of the Montes de Benifasar in the north of the province. In 1968, she was of nuns from the Order of the Carthusians resettled.

history

The monastery, founded as a subsidiary of Poblet Monastery by order of King James I of Aragón in 1233 and settled in 1235, was the first Christian religious settlement in the conquered area of Valencia . It was located at the Islamic castle Beni-Hazà and belonged to the filiation of the Clairvaux Primary Abbey . The first settlement took place in the plain near the castle until the monastery was occupied in 1250. In 1316 the abbey had 20 monks and ten converses. It acquired land in the Tortosa area . From 1554 on, the abbots were appointed for a three-year period. In the 18th century the monastery suffered damage from the plague and the War of the Spanish Succession . It was abandoned in the Wars of Independence from 1810 to 1814, then was settled again and finally fell victim to the abolition of the monastery ( disamortization ) in 1835 under the government of Juan Álvarez Mendizábal .

The complex has been classified as a Monumento Nacional since 1931.

Buildings and plant

The polygonally closed church in the east according to the plan of Poblet was completed in 1276. The extensive monastery complex is walled and grouped around several inner courtyards. The ogival cloister south of the church with very simple capitals comes from the 14th century. The chapter house and refectory have also been preserved. The late Romanesque royal gate (Porta reial), the old abbot's house in strict Gothic style and the new abbot's house on the site of the cellar and dormitory have been preserved.

literature

• Bernard Peugniez: Le Guide Routier de l'Europe Cistercienne . Editions du Signe, Strasbourg 2012, p. 861.

Web links

Commons : Benifassà Monastery  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Entry in the Catalan encyclopedia
• Aerial view of the plant
• Certosa di Firenze website
• Cartuja de Santa María de Benifasar on the Carthusian Order's website