Monastery of Santa María de Piedra

The Monastery of Piedra is located near the village of Nuévalos, by the Piedra River, very close to its source. Along with the monasteries of Our Lady of Veruela and Our Lady of Rueda, it is a product of the specific political, social, and economic needs of the Aragonese territory during the Reconquista. The Aragonese kings' need to promote a policy of repopulating the territory was decisive for the establishment of the Cistercian Order in Aragon.

Occupied by the Cistercian Order between 1218 and 1835, the monastery was built according to the order's established plan. Its location met the order's requirements: a place suitable for solitude, far removed from the outside world, yet allowing them to live self-sufficiently.

The architecture had to follow a scheme determined by simplicity, functionality, and perfect harmony of all parts of the complex, as well as by absolute austerity and a lack of ornamentation that eliminates all figurative decoration. The buildings that make up the complex are arranged around a central cloister, roughly square in plan, which opens onto the courtyard through pointed archways of very simple design without sculptural decoration. To the north stands the three-aisled abbey church with a transept, which is now practically in ruins. To the east are the Chapter House, the library, and the scriptorium; to the south, the kitchens, the refectory, and its lavatorium; and to the west, the storerooms. The monastic complex of Nuestra Señora de Piedra is protected on its north and east flanks by a masonry wall set in lime mortar, punctuated intermittently by semicircular watchtowers. Access was gained at the northwest end of the wall, beneath a square ashlar tower known as the Keep. The crises suffered during the 14th century prevented any renovation of the structures until the 15th century, when new works began. In the 16th century, a new cloister was built, with three naves enclosing a large courtyard open on one side. Above the naves, several floors were built, connected by a monumental Renaissance staircase of sober and elegant character.