Monastery of Santa María la Real, Gradefes, Cistercian monastery in Gradefes, Spain

The Monasterio de Santa Maria de Gradefes is a Cistercian monastery in Gradefes distinguished by its Romanesque architecture with three naves, five apses, and arches featuring decorative carved borders. The chapter house contains seven large openings that reveal the typical layout of medieval monastic spaces.

Teresa Petri founded the community in 1164, after being widowed from García Pérez, lord of Rueda and Cea, and served as abbess until her death in 1187. The church's first stone was laid on 1 March 1177. In 1629 the nuns moved to Medina de Rioseco and returned on 31 December 1632; in October 1809, during the Napoleonic invasion, all but the abbess and a lay sister left temporarily.

The monastery carries the mark of its female founders in its name dedicated to Mary and in the spaces designed for nuns who lived and worked here for centuries. This heritage of women in religious life remains visible in the simple, practical layout of the buildings.

The monastery stands in the urban centre of Gradefes de Rueda, on the right bank of the Esla about 30 km from León, near San Miguel de Escalada and the ruins of San Pedro de Eslonza. The church is the part normally open to visitors; the cloister, chapter house and other monastic rooms depend on the community and are seen on a guided visit. The floors and outside paths are uneven, so wear firm shoes.

When the founder's burial chamber was opened in 1959, it revealed remarkably preserved remains along with medieval leather shoes still intact. These discoveries provide rare direct evidence of how nuns dressed and lived in medieval times.