Monasterio de Piedra
Encyclopedia
Monasterio de Piedra is a monastery
, hotel and park complex in the Iberian System
area, near Nuévalos
, province of Zaragoza, Aragon
, Spain
. The monastery was founded in 1194 by Alfonso II of Aragon
wiht thirteen Cistercian monks from Poblet Monastery
, in an old castle next to the Piedra river
, and was dedicated to St. Mary the Fair (Santa María la Blanca). The entire complex has been declared a national monument.
The Monasterio de Piedra is in one of the most barren areas of Spain. Its origin dates back to 1194, when Alfonso II the Chaste and his wife Doña Sancha donated an old Moorish castle to the monks of Poblet to build a monastery and establish the Christian faith in the area.
The Monasterio de Piedra is in a mountain region at 730 m over level sea, in the "Cordillera Iberica". The traditional access road to the monastery, following the Piedra river started from Nuevalos village. In the old path are the masonry ruins of a watermill or wheel
. This beautiful spot is usually sought by the Cistercians as inspiration to develop their work and prayer work.
The Monasterio de Piedra was founded by Alfonso II in 1164 with monks from Poblet and started his work in 1195 to be completed in 1218.
In the confluence of the Rivers Ortiz and Piedra, in a land of thermal springs, as Alhama and Jaraba. The Islam
sought to establish their city on the banks of rivers, because its economy was based on agriculture, emphasizing the cultivation of irrigated land. This is why people discarded in height and thus not effectively occupied areas of the Pyrenees, where merely controlling traffic of people and goods through fortified steps at the entrance to the valleys. Is this the reason that the noble and Christian clergy, who were those who had most to lose to the arrival of Islam, to settle in the north, where they began to organize churches and monasteries around which the Christian communities would be developed.
Muslims occupied the existing cities from the Roman Empire and Visigothic civilization, restoring to a new splendor. This was the case of Huesca
, Tarazona
, Calahorra
and, of course, Zaragoza
. In other cases, start-ups founded cities, which are Tudela
, Calatayud
, Daroca
or Barbastro
. This is the case of the region of Calatayud, which currently belongs Nuevalos and the Monasterio de Piedra. the area had a big Muslim population which resisted several times after the Christian reconquest, attempts of cultural assimilation. The monasteries they served, among other things, as centers of evangelization and colonization.
The monastery was constructed how a defensive strength with a web of minor fortress in an area heavily populated by Muslims. From the muslim era, there are abundant irrigation systems, canals, ditches, castles.
In 1201, pope Innocent III
issued a bull for D. Arnold, successor to the first abbot, confirming possession of property owned by the monastery on its own terms.
In 1212 pope Innocent III issued a bull confirming all former possessions. During the reign of Pedro IV the differences between monks and residents in 1335 caused the king to receive under his tutelage the Monasterio de Piedra with their vassals. Subsequently, were the pontiffs who would grant protection. The monks had several altercations among others related to the passage of merchant caravan of mules, the exploitation of the salt today in the municipality of Nuevalos, water use in the villages of the region, dominion over the villages, tithe, etc.
Excerpts from Archivo Historico Nacional in Spain in Aragonese language
; and correspond to a sentence of the second half of the century XIII (between 1.260 and 1.265)
We can see among other things: the origin of the term "pieça", (piece, part), which currently holds in LLumes village to designate the farms, but is lost in the rest of Aragon, the references to localities are under its current name except for Calatayud which appears as "Calataiub" the village now called LLumes is named "Flumes" from Flumen, river in latin language. The municipalities correspond with the current, the limite between Monterde and Llumes is yet the road from Cubel to the Monastery, which is the current limit of the Parish of San Miguel.
Entrance through the walls was gained through the medieval keep
. The church opened onto the cloister
, noted for its great arches, and the various premises of the monastery. The chapter house
(from the early 12th century) was the vital center of monastic life; the monks resided in the main building built in the 17th century. The Romanesque
columns of the old abbatial
residence support the current Neoclassical
one, constructed in the 18th century. Front of the keep or Middle Ages
fortified tower, there are several ancient stone paridera
s transformed in hotels, their corrals are landscaped. The parideras are abound throughout the region due to extreme weather.
The monastery was closed down in 1835 during Isabella II of Spain
's rule as a consequence of the Ecclesiastical Confiscations of Mendizábal
. The Desamortización caused the exclaustration of the place, brought monastic life to an end and the main church was destroyed. The main building has been converted today into a quiet hotel.
In February 1836, the Mendizabal Confiscation ecclesiastical Act declared the sale of all property belonging to the regular clergy, and the proceeds were intended to amortize the debt. The decree was part of a program that sought to win the Carlist civil war to raise funds and troops to restore confidence in the credit of the State and in the long term, allow the tax reform. Mendizabal, in the preamble, setting out other basic objectives of the seizure: clean up the Hacienda reducing debt, getting access to the property of bourgeois sectors, which would improve production and revalue, and create a new social sector related to the system owners and to the side of queen Cristina.
Since abandoned, In 1840 Pablo Muntadas Campeny a Catalonian
wealthy merchant, surprised by the cool environment in this dry remote rural area bought the monastery, maintaining farming and livestock in the place.
His son, Juan Federico Muntadas, will shape the park by making changes, paths and walkways and planting. closest to the circuit of the spanish nineteenth century spas, and aware of the responsibility of conserving the landscape and the precarious state of the monastery, bought the abandoned monastery and its surroundings and tries several viable businesses. These include a spa, a hotel and a salmon farm. In 1860, after discovering the cave Iris, it was opened to the public. In 1867 he created the first fish farm in Spain, naturalized in the waters of the Piedra River brown trout and iberian crayfish. Subsequently, in 1886 the Fisheries Centre of the Monasterio de Piedra was ceded to the Spanish Government. The center continues to have today to Aragonese rivers of species for reforestation. The result of these activities is the garden that we know today, which in 1940 was declared "Paraje Pintoresco Nacional".
Don Juan Federico Muntadas, founder and architect of the park, naturalized in the river Piedra several salmonid species. He explored the existing caves, cleaned and opened a path and brought beautiful tree species bearing a spa to condition at the use of medicinal waters spas of the era.
The church has three naves and transept is very spoiled, especially the vaults completely falls following the abandonment bound by the confiscation. At the Monasterio de Piedra is accessed by a medieval wall that stands the medieval watchtower. The monastery’s construction progressed in three architectural stages: Gothic
(13th century), Renaissance Gothic
(16th century) and Classical-Baroque (18th century).
Are important parts of the head as the five apses, with a semicircular central. The western gate is well preserved despite the shabby facade. He looks late Romanesque and pointed arches and teeth of a saw, much like other Cistercian monasteries. An eye doctor who has lost crowns the original tracery.
The faculty is decidedly Gothic vaults and arches of great simplicity. The Chapter of the Monasterio de Piedra is probably the most valuable, especially after its exemplary restoration that has returned all its glory.
It has a square. The vaults are ribbed pillars fasciculate with multiple columns in the center (with traces of original paint) and supports the walls in the form of brackets. It is also dramatically communication with the faculty room with double lancet arches and pointed eyepiece hexalobulados multitude of elegant columns with vegetable-based "crochets."
Not fail to see other units preserved as the monks kitchen, the refectory and the Cilla.
The Piedra
river canyon in the vicinity of the monastery is a place of extreme natural beauty: natural karstic caves and manmade gallerys connecting grotto, a lush, garden-like environment of waterfall
s, lagoons, tiny ferns, mosses and rivulets in the midst of an arid wilderness. A stone canyon wetland with thick mediterranean river woods with the scent of mint, along with the sound of water and the singing of birds and the many species of damselflies. Endemic fish species like trout, madrilla and the endangered Barbo atruchado. A marked and fenced path winds its way through the course of the canyon, with overlooks of several waterfalls; the longest and most notable of these is the "Horsetail" (Cola del Caballo), at more than fifty meters high. These waterfalls are formed by the precipitation of dissolved limestone
that occurs when the decreasing river level exposes rocks to sunshine; this results in water evaporation and deposits the limestone in successive layers through which the water runs, forming countless rivulets. Minor fluctuations in the river's own flow have resulted in the Karst topography
of the region.
Along the way, the River Piedra around a mountain known as " El Espolón" (The Ram). In 1959 was created "el embalse de La Tranquera" a water reservoir that flooded a part of the rivers canyons and channels.
The reservoir flooded also the best farmland and several villages in its construction, and when the water level down are even the roofs of some houses.
The swamp water is used for domestic water supply, irrigation and electrical energy production. And around it we can find hotels, restaurants and a campsite, and has become a pleasant place for fishing and water sports.
The flora of the area dominated by oak, pine, holm and coscojales (quercus coccifera) and among the clear sunny thickets are lavender (Lavandula stoechas
). There are cultivated almond trees, vines, in the more dry and sunny places and cherry trees in the cooler. If you go up the different ranges, from the 800 meters coscoja disappears, and increases the forest vegetation. Also important are the pines around, thanks to afforestation which have been rushing throughout the twentieth century. Pine species predominate resinero (pinus pinaster) and Corsican pine (pinus nigra corsicana), but lower in areas where the oaks were once abundant, is easy to find, at present, the Aleppo pine (pinus halepensis), Walnut, horse chestnut, ash, acer, laurel, american cupressaceae
... planted by man. In the lagoons and near to watercourse grow various willow
s, belfry, reed, (Phragmites australis, Typha angustifoli), Imperata cilindrica, Juncus articulatus, Juncus inflexus, Iris pseudacorus, poplar, tamarisk, plum feral, cherry feral, alamo... surrounded by vines Clematis vitalba
, feral vines vitis vinifera
, and ivy (Hedera helix
), wild roses and wild broom (Osyris alba). The tangled hedges forming large brambles (Rubus caesius) and blackberry (Rubus ulmifolius
)....
As for the fauna consists of fox
es, Beech Marten
, wild boars, hare
s and rabbits. Other noteworthy species are deer, badger
s and genet
s, although the number of copies is limited.
And in addition to mammals, many birds can be found among which, above all, the colonies of vultures, but are not the only predators in the area. There are also copies of golden eagle
, peregrine falcon
, hawk
, kestrel
, owl
, scops owl
and other species. Almost every species of european thrush
and the ringdove are presents with influence in the vegetal regeneration with plants with seeds dispersed by birds like Celtis australis
, Cynachum acutum or solanum dulcamara
.
Another important group is the waterfowl, as in the Gallocanta Lagoon and the Marsh "La Tranquera", both in the region of Calatayud, live or hibernate, among other species, mallards, ducks spoon, pochard, coots , teal, herons and cormorants.
But you can also find plenty of partridges, quail, doves, larks, nerds, robins, finches or charcoal, to name a few.
Finally, it is difficult to find different species of amphibians and reptiles such as frogs, painted frog, newts, lizards, lizard and various kinds of snakes. The most common fish are trout, catfish and madrilla. Carp and rainbow trout have been introduced in some areas for sport. Invertebrates abundant are Procambarus clarkii, Tarantula and other spiders, butterflies, Brachycera flies, damselflies and dragonflies.
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
, hotel and park complex in the Iberian System
Sistema Ibérico
The Sistema Ibérico or Iberian System is one of the main systems of mountain ranges in Spain.It is a vast and complex system of mountain chains and massifs located in the central regions of the Iberian Peninsula, but reaching almost the Mediterranean coast in the Land of Valencia in the east.From...
area, near Nuévalos
Nuévalos
Nuévalos is a municipality located in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain. According to the 2004 census , the municipality has a population of 384 inhabitants. This small town is two km down the Piedra from the Monasterio de Piedra...
, province of Zaragoza, Aragon
Aragon
Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. The monastery was founded in 1194 by Alfonso II of Aragon
Alfonso II of Aragon
Alfonso II or Alfons I ; Huesca, 1-25 March 1157 – 25 April 1196), called the Chaste or the Troubadour, was the King of Aragon and Count of Barcelona from 1164 until his death. He was the son of Ramon Berenguer IV of Barcelona and Petronilla of Aragon and the first King of Aragon who was...
wiht thirteen Cistercian monks from Poblet Monastery
Poblet Monastery
The Royal Abbey of Santa Maria de Poblet is a Cistercian monastery, founded in 1151, located at the feet of the Prades Mountains, in the comarca of Conca de Barberà, in Catalonia . It was founded by Cistercian monks from France on lands conquered from the Moors...
, in an old castle next to the Piedra river
Piedra (Spain)
The Piedra is a short river in central north east Spain, a tributary of the river Jalón. It rises near Campillo de Dueñas, in the province of Guadalajara, Castile-La Mancha. The Piedra has an irregular flow, due to the long dry season of the summer months, with often heavy rainfall in the spring...
, and was dedicated to St. Mary the Fair (Santa María la Blanca). The entire complex has been declared a national monument.
History
El Monasterio de Nuestra Señora de Piedra it sounds like that "The Monastery of Our Lady of Stone" and also "Stone's Monastery" but, it refers mostly to the Piedra (Stone) river. It is undoubtedly one of the most visited places in Aragon, especially the numerous gardens and waterfalls created by the river in the Piedra Canyon that has become a place of rest and recreation for tourists.The Monasterio de Piedra is in one of the most barren areas of Spain. Its origin dates back to 1194, when Alfonso II the Chaste and his wife Doña Sancha donated an old Moorish castle to the monks of Poblet to build a monastery and establish the Christian faith in the area.
The Monasterio de Piedra is in a mountain region at 730 m over level sea, in the "Cordillera Iberica". The traditional access road to the monastery, following the Piedra river started from Nuevalos village. In the old path are the masonry ruins of a watermill or wheel
Wheel
A wheel is a device that allows heavy objects to be moved easily through rotating on an axle through its center, facilitating movement or transportation while supporting a load, or performing labor in machines. Common examples found in transport applications. A wheel, together with an axle,...
. This beautiful spot is usually sought by the Cistercians as inspiration to develop their work and prayer work.
The Monasterio de Piedra was founded by Alfonso II in 1164 with monks from Poblet and started his work in 1195 to be completed in 1218.
In the confluence of the Rivers Ortiz and Piedra, in a land of thermal springs, as Alhama and Jaraba. The Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
sought to establish their city on the banks of rivers, because its economy was based on agriculture, emphasizing the cultivation of irrigated land. This is why people discarded in height and thus not effectively occupied areas of the Pyrenees, where merely controlling traffic of people and goods through fortified steps at the entrance to the valleys. Is this the reason that the noble and Christian clergy, who were those who had most to lose to the arrival of Islam, to settle in the north, where they began to organize churches and monasteries around which the Christian communities would be developed.
Muslims occupied the existing cities from the Roman Empire and Visigothic civilization, restoring to a new splendor. This was the case of Huesca
Huesca
Huesca is a city in north-eastern Spain, within the autonomous community of Aragon. It is also the capital of the Spanish province of the same name and the comarca of Hoya de Huesca....
, Tarazona
Tarazona
Tarazona is a municipality in the Spanish province of Zaragoza, in the autonomous community of Aragon. It is the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tarazona and the capital of the Tarazona y el Moncayo Aragonese comarca.- History :...
, Calahorra
Calahorra
Calahorra, , La Rioja, Spain is a municipality in the comarca of Rioja Baja, near the border with Navarre on the right bank of the Ebro. During ancient Roman times, Calahorra was a municipium known as Calagurris.-Location:...
and, of course, Zaragoza
Zaragoza
Zaragoza , also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain...
. In other cases, start-ups founded cities, which are Tudela
Tudela
Tudela may refer to:*Tudela, Navarre, a town and municipality in northern Spain.** Benjamin of Tudela Medieval Jewish traveller** William of Tudela Medieval troubadour who wrote the first part of the Song of the Albigensian Crusade...
, Calatayud
Calatayud
Calatayud is a city and municipality in the province of Zaragoza in Aragón, Spain lying on the river Jalón, in the midst of the Sistema Ibérico mountain range. It is the second-largest city in the province after the capital, Zaragoza, and the largest town in Aragón other than the three provincial...
, Daroca
Daroca
Daroca is a city and municipality in the province of Zaragoza, Aragon, Spain, situated to the south of the city of Zaragoza. It is the center of a judicial district....
or Barbastro
Barbastro
Barbastro is a city in the Somontano county, province of Huesca, Spain...
. This is the case of the region of Calatayud, which currently belongs Nuevalos and the Monasterio de Piedra. the area had a big Muslim population which resisted several times after the Christian reconquest, attempts of cultural assimilation. The monasteries they served, among other things, as centers of evangelization and colonization.
The monastery was constructed how a defensive strength with a web of minor fortress in an area heavily populated by Muslims. From the muslim era, there are abundant irrigation systems, canals, ditches, castles.
In 1201, pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III
Pope Innocent III was Pope from 8 January 1198 until his death. His birth name was Lotario dei Conti di Segni, sometimes anglicised to Lothar of Segni....
issued a bull for D. Arnold, successor to the first abbot, confirming possession of property owned by the monastery on its own terms.
In 1212 pope Innocent III issued a bull confirming all former possessions. During the reign of Pedro IV the differences between monks and residents in 1335 caused the king to receive under his tutelage the Monasterio de Piedra with their vassals. Subsequently, were the pontiffs who would grant protection. The monks had several altercations among others related to the passage of merchant caravan of mules, the exploitation of the salt today in the municipality of Nuevalos, water use in the villages of the region, dominion over the villages, tithe, etc.
Excerpts from Archivo Historico Nacional in Spain in Aragonese language
Aragonese language
Aragonese is a Romance language now spoken in a number of local varieties by between 10,000 and 30,000 people over the valleys of the Aragón River, Sobrarbe and Ribagorza in Aragon, Spain...
; and correspond to a sentence of the second half of the century XIII (between 1.260 and 1.265)
We can see among other things: the origin of the term "pieça", (piece, part), which currently holds in LLumes village to designate the farms, but is lost in the rest of Aragon, the references to localities are under its current name except for Calatayud which appears as "Calataiub" the village now called LLumes is named "Flumes" from Flumen, river in latin language. The municipalities correspond with the current, the limite between Monterde and Llumes is yet the road from Cubel to the Monastery, which is the current limit of the Parish of San Miguel.
"Asignamos por termino al monasterio de Piedra, entre el monasterio e los de Nuevalos, conviene a saber: De somo de la loma en el hiermo, que es sobre el monasterio e decende por el Val de Adam, a somo de la defesa del concello de Nuevalos. E de la otra parte, del poþo de Amunna e al somo de Cannada Cremada, assí quomo las aguas vierten en tal monasterio a, e assi como va al somo de Cannada Mediana..."
"Asignamos por termino al monasterio, entrel monasterio e los de Ibdes, conviene saber: De Cannada Mediana avandita, entro a las vacarizas, e assi como va a la pieça de Val de Cavallo, e de Val de Cavallo assi quomo va al Villar de Val de Tajas. E assi como va otro a la Penna Crebrada, loma a loma en derecho, assi como las aguas vierten en tal monasterio..."
"Asignamos por termino al dito monasterio entrel monasterio e los de Flumes conviene a saber: De la dita Penna Crebrada, assí quomo va loma a loma tro a en dreito al Algadil de la Muerta, e dent assí quomo va loma a loma quomo las aguas vierten enta los Algadiles, e entro al semo de los molinos de Valdenogueras, que son de los monges, e assí quomo va por el fondon del malluelo que planto Xemen Perez entro al somo de Val de Armesan, e assí quomo va por el cerro quomo las aguas vierten de cada part enta los molinos de Val de Nogueras e en tal monasterio, e daquel cerro así quomo va omme entro aquel logar, do se parten las carreras, la una enta Flumes, e la otra enta Cubel e desdent assí quomo poya al somo de la Loma Luenga..."
"Asignamos por termino al monasterio, entrel monasterio e los de Monterde conviene a saber: Del somo de la Loma Luenga avandita assí como decenden el barranquo so la fonteziella, e assí como va a Val de Savuquiello, sobre las pieþas de las Canales del monasterio, e sale del colladiello que íxe al campo, e desí loma a loma quomo las aguas vierten enta las vinnas de Ortix de los monges, e assí quomo va al querno de la lomiella de la foneziella entro al val de las Sargas, e sobrel villar de Ortix por el cabeço. E assí como va a las eruelas de Ortix, loma a loma, e assí como íxe omme a la carrera de Calataiub, en fondon de la questa del monasterio...".
Entrance through the walls was gained through the medieval keep
Keep
A keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word keep, but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residences, used as a refuge of last resort should the rest of the...
. The church opened onto the cloister
Cloister
A cloister is a rectangular open space surrounded by covered walks or open galleries, with open arcades on the inner side, running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth...
, noted for its great arches, and the various premises of the monastery. The chapter house
Chapter house
A chapter house or chapterhouse is a building or room attached to a cathedral or collegiate church in which meetings are held. They can also be found in medieval monasteries....
(from the early 12th century) was the vital center of monastic life; the monks resided in the main building built in the 17th century. The Romanesque
Romanesque architecture
Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
columns of the old abbatial
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
residence support the current Neoclassical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
one, constructed in the 18th century. Front of the keep or Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
fortified tower, there are several ancient stone paridera
Paridera
Paridera is a Spanish word that defines in livestock, the continuous period of time between the time of the first farrowing of a lot of pregnant females and the birth of the last female. In traditional architecture is a set of masonry buildings destined to the care of ewes and goats...
s transformed in hotels, their corrals are landscaped. The parideras are abound throughout the region due to extreme weather.
The monastery was closed down in 1835 during Isabella II of Spain
Isabella II of Spain
Isabella II was the only female monarch of Spain in modern times. She came to the throne as an infant, but her succession was disputed by the Carlists, who refused to recognise a female sovereign, leading to the Carlist Wars. After a troubled reign, she was deposed in the Glorious Revolution of...
's rule as a consequence of the Ecclesiastical Confiscations of Mendizábal
Ecclesiastical Confiscations of Mendizábal
The Ecclesiastical Confiscations of Mendizabal, more often referred to simply as La Desamortización, encompasses a set of decrees from 1835-1837 that resulted in the expropriation, and privatization, of monastic properties in Spain....
. The Desamortización caused the exclaustration of the place, brought monastic life to an end and the main church was destroyed. The main building has been converted today into a quiet hotel.
In February 1836, the Mendizabal Confiscation ecclesiastical Act declared the sale of all property belonging to the regular clergy, and the proceeds were intended to amortize the debt. The decree was part of a program that sought to win the Carlist civil war to raise funds and troops to restore confidence in the credit of the State and in the long term, allow the tax reform. Mendizabal, in the preamble, setting out other basic objectives of the seizure: clean up the Hacienda reducing debt, getting access to the property of bourgeois sectors, which would improve production and revalue, and create a new social sector related to the system owners and to the side of queen Cristina.
Since abandoned, In 1840 Pablo Muntadas Campeny a Catalonian
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
wealthy merchant, surprised by the cool environment in this dry remote rural area bought the monastery, maintaining farming and livestock in the place.
His son, Juan Federico Muntadas, will shape the park by making changes, paths and walkways and planting. closest to the circuit of the spanish nineteenth century spas, and aware of the responsibility of conserving the landscape and the precarious state of the monastery, bought the abandoned monastery and its surroundings and tries several viable businesses. These include a spa, a hotel and a salmon farm. In 1860, after discovering the cave Iris, it was opened to the public. In 1867 he created the first fish farm in Spain, naturalized in the waters of the Piedra River brown trout and iberian crayfish. Subsequently, in 1886 the Fisheries Centre of the Monasterio de Piedra was ceded to the Spanish Government. The center continues to have today to Aragonese rivers of species for reforestation. The result of these activities is the garden that we know today, which in 1940 was declared "Paraje Pintoresco Nacional".
Don Juan Federico Muntadas, founder and architect of the park, naturalized in the river Piedra several salmonid species. He explored the existing caves, cleaned and opened a path and brought beautiful tree species bearing a spa to condition at the use of medicinal waters spas of the era.
The church has three naves and transept is very spoiled, especially the vaults completely falls following the abandonment bound by the confiscation. At the Monasterio de Piedra is accessed by a medieval wall that stands the medieval watchtower. The monastery’s construction progressed in three architectural stages: Gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
(13th century), Renaissance Gothic
Architecture of the Spanish Renaissance
Renaissance architecture was that style of architecture which evolved firstly in Florence and then Rome and other parts of Italy as the result of Humanism and a revived interest in Classical architecture...
(16th century) and Classical-Baroque (18th century).
Are important parts of the head as the five apses, with a semicircular central. The western gate is well preserved despite the shabby facade. He looks late Romanesque and pointed arches and teeth of a saw, much like other Cistercian monasteries. An eye doctor who has lost crowns the original tracery.
The faculty is decidedly Gothic vaults and arches of great simplicity. The Chapter of the Monasterio de Piedra is probably the most valuable, especially after its exemplary restoration that has returned all its glory.
It has a square. The vaults are ribbed pillars fasciculate with multiple columns in the center (with traces of original paint) and supports the walls in the form of brackets. It is also dramatically communication with the faculty room with double lancet arches and pointed eyepiece hexalobulados multitude of elegant columns with vegetable-based "crochets."
Not fail to see other units preserved as the monks kitchen, the refectory and the Cilla.
Park
Sometimes, due to the spectacular scenery, the occasional tourist is not paid due attention to the monastic complex, than partially ruined, offers pleasant surprises to the lover of medieval art.The Piedra
Piedra (Spain)
The Piedra is a short river in central north east Spain, a tributary of the river Jalón. It rises near Campillo de Dueñas, in the province of Guadalajara, Castile-La Mancha. The Piedra has an irregular flow, due to the long dry season of the summer months, with often heavy rainfall in the spring...
river canyon in the vicinity of the monastery is a place of extreme natural beauty: natural karstic caves and manmade gallerys connecting grotto, a lush, garden-like environment of waterfall
Waterfall
A waterfall is a place where flowing water rapidly drops in elevation as it flows over a steep region or a cliff.-Formation:Waterfalls are commonly formed when a river is young. At these times the channel is often narrow and deep. When the river courses over resistant bedrock, erosion happens...
s, lagoons, tiny ferns, mosses and rivulets in the midst of an arid wilderness. A stone canyon wetland with thick mediterranean river woods with the scent of mint, along with the sound of water and the singing of birds and the many species of damselflies. Endemic fish species like trout, madrilla and the endangered Barbo atruchado. A marked and fenced path winds its way through the course of the canyon, with overlooks of several waterfalls; the longest and most notable of these is the "Horsetail" (Cola del Caballo), at more than fifty meters high. These waterfalls are formed by the precipitation of dissolved limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
that occurs when the decreasing river level exposes rocks to sunshine; this results in water evaporation and deposits the limestone in successive layers through which the water runs, forming countless rivulets. Minor fluctuations in the river's own flow have resulted in the Karst topography
Karst topography
Karst topography is a geologic formation shaped by the dissolution of a layer or layers of soluble bedrock, usually carbonate rock such as limestone or dolomite, but has also been documented for weathering resistant rocks like quartzite given the right conditions.Due to subterranean drainage, there...
of the region.
Along the way, the River Piedra around a mountain known as " El Espolón" (The Ram). In 1959 was created "el embalse de La Tranquera" a water reservoir that flooded a part of the rivers canyons and channels.
The reservoir flooded also the best farmland and several villages in its construction, and when the water level down are even the roofs of some houses.
The swamp water is used for domestic water supply, irrigation and electrical energy production. And around it we can find hotels, restaurants and a campsite, and has become a pleasant place for fishing and water sports.
The flora of the area dominated by oak, pine, holm and coscojales (quercus coccifera) and among the clear sunny thickets are lavender (Lavandula stoechas
Lavandula stoechas
Lavandula stoechas occurs naturally in the Mediterranean region.-Description:A perennial shrub, it usually grows to 30–100 cm tall and wide...
). There are cultivated almond trees, vines, in the more dry and sunny places and cherry trees in the cooler. If you go up the different ranges, from the 800 meters coscoja disappears, and increases the forest vegetation. Also important are the pines around, thanks to afforestation which have been rushing throughout the twentieth century. Pine species predominate resinero (pinus pinaster) and Corsican pine (pinus nigra corsicana), but lower in areas where the oaks were once abundant, is easy to find, at present, the Aleppo pine (pinus halepensis), Walnut, horse chestnut, ash, acer, laurel, american cupressaceae
Cupressaceae
The Cupressaceae or cypress family is a conifer family with worldwide distribution. The family includes 27 to 30 genera , which include the junipers and redwoods, with about 130-140 species in total. They are monoecious, subdioecious or dioecious trees and shrubs from 1-116 m tall...
... planted by man. In the lagoons and near to watercourse grow various willow
Salicaceae
Salicaceae are a family of flowering plants. Recent genetic studies summarized by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group has greatly expanded the circumscription of the family to contain 55 genera....
s, belfry, reed, (Phragmites australis, Typha angustifoli), Imperata cilindrica, Juncus articulatus, Juncus inflexus, Iris pseudacorus, poplar, tamarisk, plum feral, cherry feral, alamo... surrounded by vines Clematis vitalba
Clematis vitalba
Clematis vitalba is a shrub of the Ranunculaceae family.-Description:Clematis vitalba is a climbing shrub with branched, grooved stems, deciduous leaves, and scented greeny-white flowers with fluffy underlying sepals...
, feral vines vitis vinifera
Vitis vinifera
Vitis vinifera is a species of Vitis, native to the Mediterranean region, central Europe, and southwestern Asia, from Morocco and Portugal north to southern Germany and east to northern Iran....
, and ivy (Hedera helix
Hedera helix
Hedera helix is a species of ivy native to most of Europe and western Asia. It is labeled as an invasive species in a number of areas where it has been introduced.-Description:...
), wild roses and wild broom (Osyris alba). The tangled hedges forming large brambles (Rubus caesius) and blackberry (Rubus ulmifolius
Rubus ulmifolius
Rubus ulmifolius is a species of wild blackberry known by the English common name elmleaf blackberry or thornless blackberry and the Spanish common name zarzamora. It is native to Europe and North Africa, and it is widely known elsewhere as an introduced species and sometimes a noxious weed...
)....
As for the fauna consists of fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
es, Beech Marten
Beech Marten
The beech marten , also known as the stone marten or white breasted marten, is a species of marten native to much of Europe and Central Asia, though it has established a feral population in North America. It is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN on account of its wide distribution, its large...
, wild boars, hare
Hare
Hares and jackrabbits are leporids belonging to the genus Lepus. Hares less than one year old are called leverets. Four species commonly known as types of hare are classified outside of Lepus: the hispid hare , and three species known as red rock hares .Hares are very fast-moving...
s and rabbits. Other noteworthy species are deer, badger
Badger
Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the weasel family, Mustelidae. There are nine species of badger, in three subfamilies : Melinae , Mellivorinae , and Taxideinae...
s and genet
Genet
-Aircraft:*Armstrong Siddeley Genet, aircraft engine*Armstrong Siddeley Genet Major, aircraft engine-Animals and Plants:*Genet , a colony of plants, fungi or bacteria that come from a single genetic source....
s, although the number of copies is limited.
And in addition to mammals, many birds can be found among which, above all, the colonies of vultures, but are not the only predators in the area. There are also copies of golden eagle
Golden Eagle
The Golden Eagle is one of the best known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. Once widespread across the Holarctic, it has disappeared from many of the more heavily populated areas...
, peregrine falcon
Peregrine Falcon
The Peregrine Falcon , also known as the Peregrine, and historically as the Duck Hawk in North America, is a widespread bird of prey in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache"...
, hawk
Hawk
The term hawk can be used in several ways:* In strict usage in Australia and Africa, to mean any of the species in the subfamily Accipitrinae, which comprises the genera Accipiter, Micronisus, Melierax, Urotriorchis and Megatriorchis. The large and widespread Accipiter genus includes goshawks,...
, kestrel
Kestrel
The name kestrel, is given to several different members of the falcon genus, Falco. Kestrels are most easily distinguished by their typical hunting behaviour which is to hover at a height of around over open country and swoop down on prey, usually small mammals, lizards or large insects...
, owl
Owl
Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...
, scops owl
Scops owl
Scops owls are Strigidae belong to the genus Otus. Approximately 45 living species are known, but new ones are frequently recognized and unknown ones are still being discovered every few years or so, especially in Indonesia...
and other species. Almost every species of european thrush
Thrush
-Birds:* Thrush , any of the many birds in the Turdidae family* Antthrush, any of a group of birds within the Formicariidae family* Dohrn's Thrush-babbler , a species of bird in the Timalidae family...
and the ringdove are presents with influence in the vegetal regeneration with plants with seeds dispersed by birds like Celtis australis
Celtis australis
Celtis australis, commonly known as the European nettle tree, Mediterranean hackberry, lote tree, or honeyberry, is a deciduous tree that can grow 20 or 25 meters in height....
, Cynachum acutum or solanum dulcamara
Dulcamara
Dulcamara means "bittersweet" . It can refer to:* Solanum dulcamara, a plant* Dulcamara, a synonym and proposed section of the genus Solanum.* Dulcamara, or the Little Duck and the Great Quack, a play by W. S. Gilbert...
.
Another important group is the waterfowl, as in the Gallocanta Lagoon and the Marsh "La Tranquera", both in the region of Calatayud, live or hibernate, among other species, mallards, ducks spoon, pochard, coots , teal, herons and cormorants.
But you can also find plenty of partridges, quail, doves, larks, nerds, robins, finches or charcoal, to name a few.
Finally, it is difficult to find different species of amphibians and reptiles such as frogs, painted frog, newts, lizards, lizard and various kinds of snakes. The most common fish are trout, catfish and madrilla. Carp and rainbow trout have been introduced in some areas for sport. Invertebrates abundant are Procambarus clarkii, Tarantula and other spiders, butterflies, Brachycera flies, damselflies and dragonflies.
External links
- Monasterio de Piedra
- Parque Natural del Monasterio de Piedra
- http://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special%3ASearch&search=monasterio+piedra