Fitero
Fitero is a town and municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, northern Spain.
The Monastery of Fitero is situated here.
Monasterio de Santa María
The Monasterio de Santa María is a magnificent complex of buildings mainly in the Romanesque style, which formerly housed the Cistercian Monastery and its dependencies. The monastery is currently a conglomerate of buildings from different periods, built up around the stunning church and the superb chapter house from the Medieval era. The church, which is of cathedral-like proportions, was started in 1179 and completed in 1247.
The church is one of the largest and most important buildings constructed by the Cistercian order in Spain, with an ambulatory area and five apsidal chapels in it. It consists of three naves, with six sections and a cross section. The vaults and, in general, the entire structure, are of ogival character, with an austere but elegant style. The initiative to build this church is thought to have come from the distinguished Archbishop of Navarra, who was also the chronicler of the battle of the “Navas de Tolosa”, Don Rodrigo Ximénez de Rada. On the right side of the chancel is a magnificent 14th century tomb, which the Archbishop is said to have ordered to be carved for him. However, his remains were not to occupy it, since he was finally buried in the Monastery of St Mary of Huerta. Nearby there is a similar tomb, in which the mitred abbot Fray Marcos de Villalba lies. The main altarpiece was painted by Flemish artist Roland of Mois in 1590.
The cloister was built in the 16th century, with a complicated rib structure and some interesting capitals. It is thought to have been designed by Cantabrian master Juan de Nates together with Juan González de Sisniega. The Chapter House is striking, similar to that in the nearby Monastery of La Oliva, which is still in use as a Cistercian monastery.
Ancient works of art preserved in the Monastery include the reliquary of Saint Blaise, which consists of an enamel casket with a pyramidal cover from the 13th century. Next to it, there is also a 10th century ivory chest, in the Caliphate style, a Renaissance-style shell-shaped incense burner and several Romanesque and Franco-Gothic polychrome wooden chests.
Since the dissolution of the monasteries in 1835, the church has served as the parish church for Fitero. Other parts of the buildings are used as Town Hall, cinema, café and as private homes. The church and its cloisters can be visited on most days, and excellent dramatised visits are also organised in the summer months.
Balneario de Fitero
The Balneario de Fitero is a well-known spa 4 km from Fitero. Since Roman times, people have come from far and wide to visit the hot springs of the River Alhama, where water comes out of the ground at 52º. The oldest hotel on the site is the "Virrey Palafox", which was founded in 1728. The second hotel is the "Gustavo Adolfo Becquer", named after the Romantic poet who often visited the spa, founded in 1846. The healing powers of the spring water are used to treat arthritis, rheumatism and anxiety, as well as circulatory and breathing problems.
The Monastery of Fitero is situated here.
Monasterio de Santa María
The Monasterio de Santa María is a magnificent complex of buildings mainly in the Romanesque style, which formerly housed the Cistercian Monastery and its dependencies. The monastery is currently a conglomerate of buildings from different periods, built up around the stunning church and the superb chapter house from the Medieval era. The church, which is of cathedral-like proportions, was started in 1179 and completed in 1247.
The church is one of the largest and most important buildings constructed by the Cistercian order in Spain, with an ambulatory area and five apsidal chapels in it. It consists of three naves, with six sections and a cross section. The vaults and, in general, the entire structure, are of ogival character, with an austere but elegant style. The initiative to build this church is thought to have come from the distinguished Archbishop of Navarra, who was also the chronicler of the battle of the “Navas de Tolosa”, Don Rodrigo Ximénez de Rada. On the right side of the chancel is a magnificent 14th century tomb, which the Archbishop is said to have ordered to be carved for him. However, his remains were not to occupy it, since he was finally buried in the Monastery of St Mary of Huerta. Nearby there is a similar tomb, in which the mitred abbot Fray Marcos de Villalba lies. The main altarpiece was painted by Flemish artist Roland of Mois in 1590.
The cloister was built in the 16th century, with a complicated rib structure and some interesting capitals. It is thought to have been designed by Cantabrian master Juan de Nates together with Juan González de Sisniega. The Chapter House is striking, similar to that in the nearby Monastery of La Oliva, which is still in use as a Cistercian monastery.
Ancient works of art preserved in the Monastery include the reliquary of Saint Blaise, which consists of an enamel casket with a pyramidal cover from the 13th century. Next to it, there is also a 10th century ivory chest, in the Caliphate style, a Renaissance-style shell-shaped incense burner and several Romanesque and Franco-Gothic polychrome wooden chests.
Since the dissolution of the monasteries in 1835, the church has served as the parish church for Fitero. Other parts of the buildings are used as Town Hall, cinema, café and as private homes. The church and its cloisters can be visited on most days, and excellent dramatised visits are also organised in the summer months.
Balneario de Fitero
The Balneario de Fitero is a well-known spa 4 km from Fitero. Since Roman times, people have come from far and wide to visit the hot springs of the River Alhama, where water comes out of the ground at 52º. The oldest hotel on the site is the "Virrey Palafox", which was founded in 1728. The second hotel is the "Gustavo Adolfo Becquer", named after the Romantic poet who often visited the spa, founded in 1846. The healing powers of the spring water are used to treat arthritis, rheumatism and anxiety, as well as circulatory and breathing problems.
Map - Fitero
Map
Country - Spain
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| Flag of Spain | |
Anatomically modern humans first arrived in the Iberian Peninsula around 42,000 years ago. The ancient Iberian and Celtic tribes, along with other pre-Roman peoples, dwelled the territory maintaining contacts with foreign Mediterranean cultures. The Roman conquest and colonization of the peninsula (Hispania) ensued, bringing the Romanization of the population. Receding of Western Roman imperial authority ushered in the migration of different non-Roman peoples from Central and Northern Europe with the Visigoths as the dominant power in the peninsula by the fifth century. In the early eighth century, most of the peninsula was conquered by the Umayyad Caliphate, and during early Islamic rule, Al-Andalus became a dominant peninsular power centered in Córdoba. Several Christian kingdoms emerged in Northern Iberia, chief among them León, Castile, Aragon, Portugal, and Navarre made an intermittent southward military expansion, known as Reconquista, repelling the Islamic rule in Iberia, which culminated with the Christian seizure of the Emirate of Granada in 1492. Jews and Muslims were forced to choose between conversion to Catholicism or expulsion, and eventually the converts were expelled through different royal decrees.
Currency / Language
| ISO | Currency | Symbol | Significant figures |
|---|---|---|---|
| EUR | Euro | € | 2 |
| ISO | Language |
|---|---|
| EU | Basque language |
| CA | Catalan language |
| GL | Galician language |
| OC | Occitan language |
| ES | Spanish language |