This monastery was founded in 1143 on the initiative of Estefanía de Urgell († 1143), daughter of Count Ermengol V and granddaughter of Count Pedro Ansúrez. It is believed that, at first, it was a Benedictine house, but in 1151 it belonged to the Cistercians and monks of this order arrived from the monastery of Berdoues (Gers) and Valbuena became a branch of this Gascon abbey.
Facade of the church
Thanks to the protection and, above all, the donations it received from the crowns of Castile, León (Alfonso VII, Sancho III and Alfonso VIII) and the papacy, this establishment achieved considerable prosperity and accumulated an important material heritage. San Andrés de Valvení became dependent on the latter in 1165, until 1175, when it became independent and then moved to Palazuelos. After a period of certain decadence, the house recovered thanks to the reform introduced by Friar Martín de Vargas, who made it the seat of the Cistercian Congregation of Castile (until 1553) and at the same time it ceased to depend on Berdoues and became subject to the monastery of Santa Maria de Poblet.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the monastery underwent major construction work, while at the same time it was home to an important collection of furnishings. The monastic life of the house was marked by the events of the 19th century, first with the occupation during the Peninsular War, then the temporary exclaustration during the Liberal Triennium and finally the disentailment that meant the definitive expulsion of the community and its passage into private hands to devote it to farming. From 1950 onwards, the area around the monastery was colonised and it was finally acquired by the bishopric of Valladolid. During the second half of the 20th century, and especially at the end of this period, the site was restored and became the headquarters of the Las Edades del Hombre Foundation.
Monastery entrance
Inner courtyard
Affiliation of Valbuena
According to Originum Cisterciensium (L. Janauschek, 1877)
Cloister
Cloister
Catálogo monumental de la provincia de Valladolid (c 1927)
Cloister
Cloister
Cloister
Cloister
Wall decoration of the cloister
Main altarpiece
Main altarpiece. Assumption
Chapel of St. Peter
Chapel of St. Peter
Chapel of St. Peter
Chapel of St. Peter
Chapel of St. Peter
Chapel of St. Peter
Chapel of St. Peter
Arcosolium with a crowned figure and a lady
It could be about Alfonso VII the Emperor and Urraca Fernández,
daughter of the founder and lover of the king
Scriptorium
Emblem of the Cistercian Congregation of Castile
- ANTÓN, Francisco (1942). Monasterios medievales de la provincia de Valladolid. Valladolid: Santarén
- GARCÍA FLORES, Antonio (1996). La iglesia del monasterio de Valbuena, panteón de los Señores de Aguilafuente. Cistercium, núm. 207
- GARCÍA FLORES, Antonio (2010). Arquitectura de la Orden del Císter en la provincia de Valladolid (1147-1515). Junta de Castilla y León
- GARCÍA FLORES, Antonio; i altres (2001). El proyecto de revitalización del Monasterio de Santa María de Valbuena (San Bernardo, Valladolid). Su vertiente arqueológica. BSAA, vol. 67
- GARCÍA GUINEA, Miguel Ángel; dir. (2002). Enciclopedia del Románico en Castilla y León. Valladolid. Aguilar de Campoo: Fundación Santa María la Real
- JANAUSCHEK, Leopoldus (1877). Originum Cisterciensium. Vol. 1. Viena
- TORNÉ, Josep (1996). Martín de Vargas y las dificultades iniciales de la congregación cisterciense de Castilla. Humanismo y Cister
- VELASCO, José Luis (2009). Monasterio de Santa María de Valbuena. Argaya, núm. 39
- VICENTE PRADAS, José María; i altres (2006). Monasterio de Santa María de Valbuena. Lleó: Edilesa
The Valbuena monastery is located east of Valladolid, between this city and Peñafiel.