Benedictine Jubilee

Welcome to the Real Monasterio Santa María de El Paular, nestled in the beautiful Lozoya Valley beneath the Sierra de Guadarrama. Founded in 1390, this cherished Benedictine community warmly invites you in.

Address

Carretera M604, km 26,700 Monasterio El Paular Rascafria Madrid, 28740 Spain

Connect

joaquin@monasteriopaular.com

Website

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History

On August 29, 1390, Juan I, King of Castile, laid the first stone of the future charterhouse, the first in the Kingdom of Castile and the sixth in Spain. However, with the War of Independence at the beginning of the 19th century and later the disentailment of 1835, religious life was interrupted. In 1844, the Most Excellent Señor Don Rafael Sánchez Merino purchased the monastic complex for 40,000 duros, and twenty years later, the State bought it from this family for 60,000 duros. Religious life returned once again, this time through Franco. In 1942, during a trip to Catalonia and while staying at Montserrat, he was so impressed by the religious atmosphere that he decided to bring it to Madrid and chose the Charterhouse of El Paular, which at that time was uninhabited. He offered it to its legitimate owners, the Carthusians, who declined. The charterhouse was then offered to a community of Benedictines from La Rioja, “The Abbey of Valvanera,” whose monks arrived at El Paular on March 20, 1954.

Events

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Stay

Until March 2011, the Monastery of El Paular provided accommodation exclusively for men, utilizing rooms integrated within the community's cloistered area. From now on, the monastery also offers a set of rooms outside of this enclosure to welcome both men and women who wish to share in a monastic experience. The Benedictine Community is opening its doors to modern society by launching monastic accommodation aimed at both men and women. It provides a space of peace and tranquility where guests can share the monks' experience of prayer, contemplation, and silence. This makes it possible to get to know monastery life from the inside by participating in it without disrupting the community's routine. To this end, it is important for guests to respect a series of mandatory rules; guests will share space with the monks in the chapel, the refectory, and the cloister. The accommodation is open to both individuals and groups wishing to spend a few days in contemplation and prayer. The stay must be for a minimum of three nights and a maximum of twelve. Residency in the accommodation is governed by the strict schedule followed by the Benedictine community, which guests must also maintain (regarding entry and exit from the grounds, prayers, and meals). The monastery, of which the accommodation is a part, is a sacred site where silence must reign at all times; this requirement obliges us to exclude children under the age of fourteen from our guest list. One of the purposes of the stay is for guests to intimately experience the contemplative life; therefore, it is necessary to attend three of the most important monastic hours of the day: Lauds at 8:00 AM, Sext at 2:00 PM, and Vespers at 7:30 PM. However, we invite guests to attend all other prayers as well.

Pray

Matins at 06:30, Lectio Divina (meditation in cell) at 07:00, Lauds, breakfast, and work at 08:00, Sext, lunch, and recreation at 14:00, Rest and silence at 15:00, Work at 16:00, Lectio Divina (meditation in cell) at 19:00, Vespers and Mass, dinner, and recreation at 19:30, Compline and silence at 22:00.