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Links to individual Bellatrovata pages
Bellatrovata and Paradoxplace are the creations of Adrian Fletcher
All original material © Adrian Fletcher 2000-07 - The contents may not be reproduced without permission. Feedback and comments to Adrian Fletcher
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Bellatrovata
SPRING IN SPAIN - 2006 ARAGON REAL MONASTERIO DE NEUSTRA SENORA DE RUEDA (ROYAL MONASTERY OF OUR LADY OF THE WATER WHEEL)
Cistercian Abbey (Daughter of Morimond) - Established nearby in 1152, and moved to the present location alongside the river Ebro, south of Saragossa, after the site was given to them by King Alfonso II of Aragon in 1182. The church was consecrated in 1238. Being Cistercians they dammed the river and put up a monster water wheel to keep the good stuff flowing through the monastery and its gardens (hence the name).
In 1836 / 7 the monastery was closed under the "Depriving Laws of Mendizábal", and its possessions were sold (except for the church and cloister buildings which remained the (unmaintained) property of government). In reality the farming family who took over the land also used the church, refectory etc as shelter for animals and machinery and even a large boat. Strangely, the water wheel also survived in working order until a few decades ago.
What is there now is the result of a huge and very impressive ten year restoration program of the church and monk's buildings (the lay brothers' side has gone) by the government of Aragon.
MAGNIFICENTLY RESTORED (REOPENED IN 2003) AND WITH AN EQUALLY IMPRESSIVE AND VERY FRIENDLY **** HOTEL
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The road there is not full of hope - poor land, abandoned farmhouses, unmaintained road for 30km or so, and then when the abbey does come into sight the beauty of what lies inside is not immediately evident ..... inside the huge outer courtyard, the restored church facade does not fill one with hope either .... partly because the one aesthetic mistake of the restoration work was to continue a high blank wall to the south of the facade where the lay brothers' buildings would have been. |
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| Then when the abbey door was unlocked after a good lunch, and Dom P was the only visitor and with no monks to get in the way - it was as good as it gets!! | |||||||||||||
| The visible tower is build from bricks in Mudejar style, lower down this sits on an earlier stone structure. | |||||||||||||
| Chapter house inside and out | |||||||||||||
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Pulpit in the single span refectory - just look at the quality of the capitals and the pulpit support. Outside in what would have been the lay brother's area is - don't even think about it! |
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The hotel part of the buildings occupies two sides of the outer courtyard. The room views on the other side of the arcade look out onto the main aqueduct wall - with the gap being where the great rueda was.
The hotel itself ("La Hospederia del Real Monasterio de Neustra Señora de Rueda") is almost new and a genuine ****+ - beautifully designed and spaciously fitted out with nothing but the tasteful best - recommended without reservation.
And the restaurant is just as excellent as the rest, with the delightful waitress Sheyla who will give you a little glass of gespazio and a roll of spring whilst you try and choose amongst Aragonese specialities like duck’s gizzard and foie on a bed of borraja, and sweetened piggy with garlics and aromatic herbs. |
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Links to individual Bellatrovata pages
Bellatrovata and Paradoxplace are the creations of Adrian Fletcher All original material © Adrian Fletcher 2000-07 - The contents may not be reproduced without permission. Feedback and comments to Adrian Fletcher
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