Monasteries
Sense the centuries of history
Monastery of Santa María de Rioseco
The Monastery of Santa María de Rioseco, founded in the 13th century, is located in the Manzanedo Valley, next to the Ebro River. It was inhabited for centuries by "white monks" of the Cistercian Order, the community was stratified, monks living together " orators" or literati and laymen or "converts" who engaged in farm work. In its best moments, Rioseco must have had a community of 100 people, including monks, converts, novices and servants. The monks created an exemplary agricultural exploitation, imposing in the Manzanedo Valley the crops of wheat, vineyards, fruit trees and flax, bequeathing their livestock with 2,000 sheep.
The decline of Rioseco began in the 19th century: the monks were forced to exclaustrate on several occasions and in 1835 the disentailment law of Mendizábal, which allowed the sale of monastic assets, put an end to the monastery. After the confiscation, laziness, oblivion and plunder turned the monastery into dangerous ruins, which is why in the fifties the grandchildren of its buyer donated it to the Archbishopric of Burgos, its current owner. Since 2010, different activities have been carried out to recover the monastery with volunteers from the Salvemos Rioseco association.
In the monastery we find three construction periods: Creation period, or Cistercian 13th-14th century, to which the church corresponds. Renaissance stage, in the 16th century: the Chapter House and some other dependency. Baroque stage, XVII-XVIII century: cloister and other dependencies of the Monastery.
Dirección
Incinillas (Villarcayo de Merindad de Castilla la Vieja). Burgos.
Teléfono: 681 682 680
Email: monasterio@monasterioderioseco.com
Página Web: https://www.monasterioderioseco.com
Más Información
Tourist Office of Villarcayo
Edificio del Archivo Histórico de Las Merindades. Plaza Mayor, 17. Villarcayo (Villarcayo de Merindad de Castilla la Vieja). 09550 Burgos.
Telephone: 947 130 457
Email: turismo@villarcayo.org
Tourist Office Regional of Burgos
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