# Monasterio de Santa María de El Paular

Guide en Rascafría

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/companies/el-paular-monastery

The Benedictine community of El Paular offers a guided visit to the monastic area of the first Carthusian monastery in Castile, bookable on its website.

El Paular was the first Carthusian monastery in Castile. Juan I signed the start of the works in 1390, fulfilling the wish of his father, Enrique II of Trastámara, and the Carthusians lived in it until the confiscation of 1836. Since 1954 a community of Benedictine monks of the Subiaco congregation has lived there, which organises the guided visits to the monument from its visitor reception centre, next to the shop.

## Who organises the visits

The monks themselves run the reception, the shop and the visit calendar, in collaboration with the state administration, which restored the complex under the master plan approved in 1996. The monastery was declared a national monument in 1876 and in the 20th century hosted the Institución Libre de Enseñanza and a residence for landscape painters. It is a working community, so times may change because of the liturgy, cultural events or the community's life.

## What you visit

The guided visit to the monastic area takes in the church, with its alabaster altarpiece, the chapter house, the tabernacle and the sacristy, the refectory and the Recordación cloister. It is completed with the exhibitions in the main cloister, where the Carthusian series by Vicente Carducho hangs, restored by the Prado Museum. On some departures you first see the exhibitions on your own, for about half an hour, and then comes the guided part, of 30 to 45 minutes. The website gives 1 h 15 min for the whole complex on the booking page and an hour and a half on the timetable page. You can also see separately, without a guide, the cloister with the Carducho collection and the Paular Contemporáneo space.

## Times and prices

The monastery is open from 11:00 to 14:00 and from 16:00 to 18:00, and closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, except public holidays, and on 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January. In the winter timetable guided departures are Wednesday to Friday at 12:00, 12:30 and 16:30; on Saturdays, at 12:00, 12:30, 16:00 and 16:30, and on Sundays and public holidays, at 12:30, 16:00 and 16:30. The guided visit with exhibitions costs €7, €4 for over-65s and groups and €3 for children; the self-guided visit to the cloister, €5, €3 or €1. Mass is daily at 19:30, on Saturdays at 8:00 and 19:00, and on Sundays at 12:00, sung.

## How to book

Entry is only with advance booking, in the calendar on their website or on 918 69 19 58, and capacity is limited. Groups book by phone. If you go by car, give the registration number when booking: the car park opens with number plate control 20 minutes before the visit and closes 10 minutes before it starts. Photos and video are not allowed inside, and animals are not admitted. The website does not publish cancellation conditions or the languages of the visit.

## What they run

- [El Paular Monastery](https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/community-of-madrid/lozoya-valley/things-to-do/el-paular-monastery), in Lozoya Valley: Rascafría, El Paular and Peñalara. Guided visit to the monastic area and exhibitions. Desde 7 € per person. 1 h 15. Book in the calendar on its website

Independent companies: you book with them, on their terms. Prices are as they publish them and may change.

## Practical details

- Address: Ctra. M-604, km 27,5, 28740 Rascafría, Madrid
- Phone: +34 918 69 19 58
- Email: info@monasteriodeelpaular.com

## Contact

- Web: https://www.monasteriodeelpaular.com/
- Coordenadas: 40.8889, -3.8889

## Preguntas frecuentes

### Do I need to book?
Yes, always, on the monastery's website or by phone.

### How long does the visit last?
Between 1 h 15 min and an hour and a half, with the exhibitions.

### Can I take photos?
No, neither photos nor video during the visit.

### Do they have guest accommodation?
Yes, a spirituality centre with its own phone number, 682 768 931.