* The author is part of the community of La Vanguardia readers
As a complement to the photographic report that I published a few days ago about the Poblet monastery, I share in The Photos of the Readers of La Vanguardia this series of snapshots that highlight the sober tranquility that this religious site transmits, where the architectural richness invites spirituality through this jewel of the Cistercian Route in Conca de Barberà.
This monastery is located in a rural area past the current Espluga de Francolí road. It was decided to locate it in an isolated place with access to water to work the land and be self-sufficient. In fact, it is the only one of the monasteries on the Cistercian Route that remains isolated.
The monastery was founded by order of the Count of Barcelona Ramón Berenguer IV in the year 1150 and its construction began around the year 1163 by the master architect Arnau Bargués. Declared a World Heritage Site in 1991, it is currently inhabited by about 25 Benedictine monks.
Its walled exterior has four towers and the baroque doorway of the 17th century Church. On the right hand side is the 18th century Abbot’s Palace.
In Poblet we will find the Royal Pantheon, with a set of tombs of different kings of the Aragonese crown built between the 14th and 15th centuries.
