Monasterio de Santa María La Real de Las Huelgas

Monasterio de Santa María La Real de Las Huelgas Review

On the western edge of town—a mile walk from the town center—is the Monasterio de Santa María La Real de Las Huelgas, still run by nuns. Founded in 1187 by King Alfonso VIII, the convent has a royal mausoleum. All but one of the royal coffins were desecrated by Napoléon's soldiers; the one that survived contained clothes that form the basis of the convent's textile museum. Visitors are not permitted inside the monastery, only into the museum.