SPAIN ~ Poblet Monastery - Catalonia - UNESCO ~

....Wonderful aerial view of an impressive architectural complex... this abbey is among the most important monastic ensembles in Europe.. surrounded by stunning forests and vineyards... still a working monastery to this day and you'll see monks walking around the premises... it consists of a guesthouse, sadly for male guests only... with great matching stampツ...Thanks a lot Josep and Assumpta for this lovely surprise!! \_(♥‿♥)_/

Photo: Tavisa
The Royal Abbey of Santa Maria de Poblet is a Cistercian monastery whose monks, since its foundation in 1150, have followed the Rule of Saint Benedict. Closed down due to the Spanish State's laws in 1835, the monastery was refounded in 1940 by Italian monks of the same Order.

This Cistercian abbey is one of the best examples of religious architecture in Catalonia and in Europe and one of the most complete Cistercian abbeys in the world. It houses also the tombs of a long line of kings and queens of Catalonia and Aragon  (the medieval Catalan Kings) in a great pantheon.

To date, there are 32 so-called ‘white monks’ residing in the abbey who live in meditation, seclusion, manual labor and self-reliance.

It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991.

Stamps:
UNESCO - Santa Maria de Poblet Monastery
(Issued 03-12-1993)

King Felipe VI
(Issued 02-01-2016)