Monastery of Santa María del Paular

El Paular was the first monastery in Castile, founded in 1390 by order of John I of Spain. The site underwent a constant process of evolution at the hands of the architects Juan Guas, Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón, Francisco Hurtado and Vicente Acero. The church conserves its Flamboyant Gothic façade. It has a nave with a polygonal apse. The cloister is outstanding for its austerity and its ogive vaulted ceilings, surrounded by the friars’ cells. After the sale of church lands, the monastery was abandoned, but was restored its original use in 1910.