MuseumMonastery of Santa Maria la Real

Welcome to the Monastery of Santa Maria la Real of Nájera.
Through this audioguide you will get a closer look into the history and the treasures of this monument.
The history of this monastery is strongly linked to that of the kingdom of Nájera, a realm that emerged during the “Reconquista”, the Christian reconquest of the territories under Muslim rule. It was first linked to the kingdom of Pamplona and then to the kingdom of Castille.
Nájera city became the capital of the Kingdom of Pamplona-Nájera in the tenth century, when the Caliph of Cordoba, Abderraman the III besieged and destroyed the city of Pamplona. The kings of the Jimena dynasty held court here until the lands of Nájera were claimed by the king of Castile a century and a half later.
The Monastery of Santa Maria la Real was founded by King Garcia Sanchez III as a place of eternal resting place for his dynasty. He established a church with a monastery so that the monks would for prayers for his soul, and endowed it with many properties that extended all the way to the Cantabrian coast. This rich heritage made the monastery was fabulously wealthy, which in turn attracted great calamities.