Monastery of la Consolación, Gothic monastery in Calabazanos, Spain
Monastery of la Consolacion features two 16th-century cloisters with pointed Gothic arches and decorated stonework throughout its layout. The complex includes an alabaster tomb and demonstrates typical Gothic architectural elements of that era.
Leonor de Castilla founded the monastery in 1458, establishing it by transferring a Clarissian community from another location to honor her husband Pedro Manrique's dying wishes. This act made it an important religious center in the region.
The nuns here have made regional sweets for generations, available for direct purchase: coconut candies, Castilian pastries, Perrunillas, and puff pastry turnovers with candied angel hair threads. This craft tradition remains active in the monastery's daily life and is valued by visitors.
The monastery sits near Villamuriel de Cerrato and is best explored on foot, with the two cloisters forming the heart of the complex. The nuns sell their homemade sweets through a traditional window opening only during set daytime hours.
Queen Isabella I of Castile attended a performance of a religious play here that was staged specifically within the monastery walls for this royal occasion. This shows the site served not only as a religious center but also as a venue for cultural and artistic events.
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