Poblet Monastery: History, Architecture, and Cistercian Legacy
Poblet Monastery
- Chronology: 12th-13th centuries (onset after 1150)
- Style: Cistercian, transitioning from Romanesque to Gothic. Architect unknown. Materials: wood and stone. Location: Vimbodí (Tarragona)
The Cistercian style, characterized by austerity, prohibited elaborate portals, stained glass, and extensive painting. Poblet Monastery’s evolution, from its earliest stages (pre-1200) through the 13th and early 14th centuries, reflects key Cistercian principles:
- Organic architectural program
- Adaptation to the topography
- Austere forms and minimal decoration (though some appears in later works)
Poblet Monastery consists of three walled enclosures. The innermost enclosure houses the main monastic area, centered around the cloister. The cloister’s four bays feature pointed vaults, and the arches enclosing the courtyard display sober Gothic tracery with geometric and floral capitals.
Opposite the refectory, in the north wing, is a hexagonal Romanesque font where monks washed before meals—a characteristic Cistercian feature.
To the east lies the chapter house, an austere square space with four central octagonal pillars and lightly decorated capitals. Nine vaults cover the ceiling, and the floor holds the tombs of former abbots.
The monastery church is a three-aisled basilica with side chapels, a transept with two chapels, and a sanctuary with an ambulatory and five radiating chapels. The central nave has a pointed barrel vault reinforced with six arches, while the aisles have ribbed vaults.
Contrasting with the austere walls are the spectacular Gothic octagonal dome at the crossing, the royal mausoleums, and the 16th-century alabaster altarpiece by Damià Forment.
Finally, the dormitory is an immense Gothic nave (87m long, 10m wide) with a wooden gable roof and 19 arches supported by delicately carved corbels.
- Meaning and History:
King Ramon Berenguer IV requested the founding of Poblet Monastery in 1150, asking the Abbot of Fontfroide Abbey (France) to send Cistercian monks to the newly conquered lands. The monks arrived a year later, and construction began in 1166.
Its royal connection led Poblet to become the official pantheon of the Aragonese kings during the 14th and 15th centuries.
The Cistercian order sought to return to the purity of the Rule of Saint Benedict (ora et labora), emphasizing manual labor and reducing time spent on liturgical acts. This required a distance from worldly values, leading to monasteries being built in isolated locations.
Poblet Monastery exemplifies the Cistercian order, founded in Citeaux (Burgundy, France) in 1098 as a reaction against the opulence of Cluny Abbey.
The Cistercian order in Catalonia introduced a transitional Gothic style marked by functionality and austerity. These principles influenced the Southern Gothic of the Crown of Aragon, evident in buildings like the Tinell in Barcelona.
- Function:
Cistercian monastic life followed the Rule of Saint Benedict, dictating the monastery’s layout: a church for prayer, a chapter house for daily readings, a refectory for communal meals, and a dormitory. A library and cellar were also essential. The cloister, inspired by Roman villa courtyards, connected these spaces. The architecture was thus designed around the monks’ activities.