Monastery of Santa María de La Vid

Curiously, these two foundations are related to the county of Urgell, which also had a decisive influence on the establishment of the house of Bellpuig de les Avellanes (Noguera), founded shortly afterwards. There is also a legend claiming that King Alfonso VII of León and Castile miraculously found an image of the Virgin, which was transferred to the monastery. That primitive establishment (known as Monte Sacro) was somewhat distant from the present site in La Vid. This began to rise thanks to the protection it received from the Castilian kings, in the form of privileges and land, which turned the monastery into a centre of both material and religious power. It was directly dependent on Rome, which led to disputes with the bishopric of Osma.

At the beginning of the 15th century, mismanagement by the abbots led to the loss of assets, which led the Holy See to intervene to redress the situation. Cardinal Íñigo López de Mendoza, a powerful and influential figure who had been the abbot of La Vid since 1516, also intervened and carried out important works to build a family pantheon, which completely changed the appearance of the monastery (new cloisters and church...) as well as enriching it with notable works of art. After suffering the effects of the Peninsular War and a temporary exclaustration during the “Liberal Triennium”, the end of Premonstratensian life came with the disentailment of 1835, and a large part of its heritage was lost due to the abandonment that followed. In 1865, the site was occupied by an Augustinian community, which maintains monastic activity here to this day.