The place is wonderful.
The history is long and I will not do it justice. It is a Benedictine monestary. Their theme is "pray and work".
After hiding a prince who later became king, the monks were given two square miles of land which became their expansion starting point.
The cleared the land and put it to productive use including building the monestary over time.
The location is somewhat hidden in a valley which offered some protection from invaders over the years. In addition they had the support of local villages which used bells to warn of intruders .
The monestary became an island for spiritual and scientific growth. At one point in time they were subject to onerous taxes by Spain and sold off almost everything to pay the taxes. They continued praying and working and bought back the property on which the monestary is located, but not the rest of the sold assets.
It was invaded by Napoleon and stripped of much of its treasures. At a later date their work created major problem. They made a variety of things including a local alcoholic drink. This resulted in a fire which destroyed everything but the church. It has been rebuilt with the support of Franco, who was from this area. They still make this drink but it is off site.
The rebuilding included painting the monk's story on the walls with the humorous inclusion of modern day people in the pictures - Alfred Hitchcock, Sophia Loren and Charleton Heston for example.
The ongoing fight against evil thru prayers.
The transition (not death) of Saint Benedict to be with God when he left this world.
There are course many relics which were in neighboring churches at times when destruction took place.
One of the original guidebooks for doing the Camino.
Individuals can still stay at the monestary for retreats of up to 15 days
Guy
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