Las Huelgas

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Las Huelgas is a monastery that lies approximately 1.5 km west of the city of Burgos in Spain. Historically, it has often been the site of many weddings of royal families, both foreign and Spanish, including that of Edward I of England to Eleanor of Castile, for example.

The monastery was founded around the year 1180 by Alfonso VIII of Castile. For some time up until the 14th century, it enjoyed many royal privileges granted to it by the king, including exemption from taxes, the lordship of many villages and territories (governed by the monastery's abbess), and the possession of many of the royal families' valued personal items, most of them religious.

In 1199, the the monastery was incorporated with the Cistercian Order and became the burial place of the royal family. In 1212, two months before the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa, Alfonso VIII created the King's Hospital, with all its dependencies, subject to the Abbess of Las Huelgas.

[edit] External Links

• Photos of Las Huelgas, its Royal Tombs and Cloisters