This building served as a convent for Cistercian nuns, and was founded in the 12th century.

The first Royal Monastery of Las Huelgas was built on the orders of Alfonso VIII between 1180 and 1190. Particular highlights include the Romanesque cloister and the chapel of La Asunción, a work in pure Almohad artistic style. The second construction was begun well into the first half of the 13th century, and is the large church we see today, with its cloister and adjoining quarters. It was the wish of the founders that this should be the Royal Pantheon. The tombs of these monarchs and their immediate successors lie beneath the naves of the church, the site of the nuns choir stalls. The vestments on display today in the Museum of Rich Fabrics come from these tombs.