Santa Maria de Solius, Cistercian monastery and church in Solius, Spain
Santa Maria de Solius is a Cistercian monastery with a single-nave church featuring three chapels on each side of the interior. An octagonal bell tower with a dome crowns the complex.
The monastery was founded in 1967 by four monks from Poblet Monastery, established beside a parish church dating from 1773. That earlier church remains an important landmark for the site.
The name Solius comes from "Sos Olius", a small olive grove owned by the Benedictines of Sant Feliu de Guíxols, which is why the Virgin of Solius holds a seven-leaf olive branch. The community's 44 Nativity dioramas, begun in 1970 by Brother Gilbert Galceran and maintained by Brother Albert Fontanet, have been exhibited since 1992.
The monastery stands beside the parish church of Santa Agnès de Solius, in the village of Solius within Santa Cristina d'Aro. The 44 Nativity dioramas are now opened only at Christmas time; outside that season, phone ahead before travelling to confirm access. The monks' bookbinding workshop supports the community.
The monastery's name comes from "Sos Olius", a small olive grove once owned by the Benedictines of Sant Feliu de Guíxols; the middle s dropped over time. For this reason the Virgin of Solius holds a seven-leaf olive branch. The community also spoke out against housing developments threatening the Solius natural areas in the early 21st century.
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