Poblet Monastery

Poblet was founded in 1151 as the Cistercians moved south with the reconquest, and it became the burial place of the kings of the Crown of Aragon: their alabaster tombs lie on arches spanning the transept, restored in the twentieth century by Frederic Mares after they were smashed during the 1835 confiscations. The complex is large, with a triple walled circuit, a twelfth-century cloister with a hexagonal lavabo pavilion, a great vaulted dormitory of the thirteenth century, a chapter house and a Gothic royal palace built into the walls. Monks returned in 1940 and the community continues, which limits access to parts. UNESCO listed it in 1991. The surrounding country is Conca de Barbera vineyard land.

What you actually see

• The royal tombs - alabaster effigies on arches across the transept.
• The cloister and lavabo - a twelfth-century court with a hexagonal fountain house.
• The great dormitory - a vast vaulted hall of the thirteenth century.
• The triple walls - three successive circuits around the complex.

When to go

April to June and September to November; the Conca de Barbera is hot in summer. Visits are guided or by audio at set times, with the monastery closing for offices and a midday break.

Honest expectations

Parts of the complex remain in monastic use and are closed. Visits follow a fixed route at set times. Photography is restricted in some areas. Poblet is remote with no practical public transport.

Nearby

Santes Creus and Vallbona form the Cistercian route with Poblet; Montblanc and Tarragona lie south.