Reial Monestir de Santa Maria de Poblet. Catalonia.

They were closed for lunch! so having to hang around for an hour whilst the 20 odd resident monks and there servants feasted well and I baked in a temperature into the 100's F was not a good start to the visit.

If anyone decides to visit the place you cannot just rock up and go through the main gate, one has to follow a maze through the visitor centre eventually arriving in a small cinema theatre for a 15 minute sound and vision experience....hmm.

The soulfull chanting started, religious images appeared with a commentary about how great "god" is. 30 seconds in I got up and walked about. I am here to admire the architecture not here to suffer some religious brainwashing bullshit. Enough already. if you need an imaginary friend so be it. I don't.

Santa Maria de Poblet was founded by cistercian monks from southern France in 1150,

This monastery was the first of three grouped monasteries, known as the Cistercian triangle, that helped consolidate the power of the house of Aragon in Catalonia in the 12th century.

Consolidate power? Oh silly me I thought it was all about spreading the word of the lord. At its peak the monastery had a population of over 300 monks

It lay empty until it began restoration in 1930 and some 10 years later resumed its role and a group of Italian Monks took up residence.

Politics and decrees and all that led to the monastery being abandoned in 1835, and over the years was looted and fell into disrepair.

The cooling shady cloisters,

Surround the basic yet well tended gardens

The high vaulted ceilings and plain stone walls a welcome from the heat of the day, some rooms are just empty and unused these days

Though the refractory all set out for the next meal. It must take an age to keep the floors so highly polished,

The main altar of the monastery church ornate carved alabaster and a simple wooden cross.

The tombs of former Aragon royalty restored in the 1940's still housing old bones, though apparently the bodies were removed at the closure of the monastery and returned this century, politely "co-mingled" or in plain speak mixed up bits in each sepulchre.

"When she gets there she knows, if the stores are all closed
With a word she can get what she came for."

©succubus music