Monestir de Santa Maria de l'Estany, Romanesque monastery in l'Estany, Spain
The Monestir de Santa Maria de l'Estany is a Romanesque monastery with a single-nave church and three rounded apses. Its square cloister preserves 72 carved capitals on the columns that frame the arcades.
The monastery was founded in 1080 as a community of Augustinian canons and its church was consecrated in 1133. Over time it received significant land grants and the donation of another nearby church to its holdings.
The cloister contains notable Gothic tombs that belonged to important religious figures who led the community over centuries. These burial places show how the monastery was home to people of influence and standing.
The former monastic buildings now house a rectory, public library, and museum that visitors can explore. It is helpful to spend time walking around the cloister to study the carved details on the columns and see how the complex was arranged.
The monastery's name comes from a lake that once filled the valley where it sits, which drained away by 1570. Underground channels were dug that year to channel the water away and reclaim the land for use.
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