Moasterio de la Armedilla, Spain

Driving south from Peñafiel toward Segovia, I came upon the ruins of the Monasterio de Armedilla.

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The plaque above shows a rendition of how it once looked. Today, you’ll find ruins of the main buildings:

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And here’s a look inside:

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It’s amazing how many ruins of structures like this exist in Spain. One need only drive along some of the more rural roads to encounter them.

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Just be careful doing any exploring. There many be dangerous conditions and creatures about.

Bones of Monks, Spain

While in Sigüenza, Spain, I came across the Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de los Huertos. It is a Franciscan monastery built in the 16th Century as you can see from this plaque on the wall.

An here’s a look at the building itself.

A fairly imposing structure, I decided to go in for a closer look, when I came across this sign, explaining how some of the monks were buried in the space adjacent to the church.

Much to my surprise, the grave pictured in the diagram above can be seen under a sheet of glass on a few steps to the left. Here it is:

Wow! I wasn’t expecting to actually look down into the grave. But, there they are, the bones for all to see. Seems a bit macabre, or even somewhat disrespectful. Then again, the faithful may be attracted by such relics. It’s hard to tell. Either way, it brings history into sharp focus. There were real people living and dying here. The evidence is everywhere to be seen.

Published in: on May 17, 2010 at 2:06 pm  Leave a Comment  
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