Monastery de les Avellanes, Lleida, Spain

chapel monister avellanes lleida
This small round window is a charming break in the imposing, thick, wall of the chapel.

The Monastery of the Avellanes (hazel nut trees-which were grown on the monastery grounds) is a bit of an oddity among our many visits to churches and monasteries all over the world. Yes, a good part of the original 12th Century monastery is there, including this charming window portrait of Saint Lawrence in the chapel, but the whole thing now has been transformed into a hotel, restaurant, and conference center. Which, come to think of it, is not too far in spirit from the original concept of monasteries as working commercial enterprises which supported the monks who lived and worked and prayed there.

window chapel monister avellanes lleida
I think I like the chapel's flat, dimensionless, window art of the Romanesque period better than most other styles. Piling saints on top of each other is how the did perspective. Before they knew how to paint perspective.

The place features a very nice restaurant, where we were treated to a lovely lunch, courtesy of the tourism bureau of the province of Lleida. Lleida is one of the provinces that makes up Catalunya in northeastern Spain, in case you were wondering.

I went on a whirlwind three day tour of the province with the tourist bureau in April 2015, and while I appreciated the lunch, I certainly appreciated more the chance to see yet another bit of Spain's rich cultural history.

capital cloister monister avellanes lleida
These medieval monasteries had the most interesting, fantastic, carvings on the capitals of the cloisters. Strange animals, angels, deformed humans, all have their place.
stonemasons chop chapel monister avellanes lleida
The stonemasons who built the chapel left their mark on various stones around the walls.

Up Your Travel Skills

Looking to book your next trip? Use these resources that are tried and tested by us.

First, to get our best travel tips, sign up for our email newsletter.

Then, be sure to start your reading with our Resources Page where we highlight all the great travel companies and products that we trust.

Travel Accessories: Check out our list of all the accessories we carry to make getting there and being there a lot easier.

Credit Cards: See our detailed post on how to choose the right travel rewards credit card for you.

Flights: Start finding the very best flight deals by subscribing to Thrifty Traveler.

Book your Hotel: Find the best prices on hotels with Booking.com.

Travel Insurance: Don't leave home without it. We recommend Allianz Travel Insurance.

See all of the gear and books we like in one place on our Amazon shop.

2 thoughts on “Monastery de les Avellanes, Lleida, Spain”

Leave a Comment

If you liked this post, please share it.

Thanks.