Monastery of La Oliva

In Carcastillo, halfway between Olite and the Bardenas, the Cistercian monastery of La Oliva is one of the great medieval complexes of Navarre. It preserves its abbey church and cloister, and is still inhabited by a community of Cistercian monks who pray, work the vineyard, make wine and welcome guests. It is a quiet, one-hour visit that is best appreciated in silence: it is not a museum, it is a living house.

A little history

According to the monks themselves, the Cistercian order chose in 1149 the fertile fields beside the River Aragón to build the monastery, with the favour of King García Ramírez of Navarre, who gave it extensive lands. With donations from nobles and benefactors it became one of the most powerful monastic centres of its time. During the War of Independence it was plundered by French troops, and in 1835 Mendizábal's disentailment left it abandoned and in ruins for more than nine decades. In 1926, after an agreement with the Diputación Foral, a Cistercian community returned to restore it.

What you see

The complex is arranged around the abbey church, in Cistercian style with a three-aisle plan and a medieval rose window. Beside it are the Gothic cloister and the chapter house, proto-Gothic. Opposite the church's apse is the chapel of San Jesucristo, the oldest building in the monastery, and next to the church, the abbot's palace. The visit plan also marks the new sacristy, the old warming room, the old refectory, the kitchen and the gardens. There is an information leaflet in four languages, with history, plan and recommendations for the tour, which can be downloaded from the monastery website.

Hours, price and Masses

According to the monastery's leaflet, it is visited on working days from 9:00 to 12:00 and from 15:30 to 18:00, and on Sundays and public holidays from 9:00 to 11:30 and from 16:00 to 18:00. The hours may be interrupted by liturgical celebrations. Entry costs €2.50 and is paid at the ticket office, on the left as you enter; the visitor access is next to the shop. The Eucharist on Sundays and public holidays is at 12:00, and visitors may attend the monks' liturgy, which begins with vigils at 4:30 and ends with compline at 20:45. Telephone, 948 725 006.

Wine, shop and guesthouse

The monks cultivate their vineyards and make their wine in a modern winery, restored in 2009. The wine and other Cistercian products are sold in the monastery shop and its online shop. The guesthouse, in a restored 18th-century building, welcomes men and women seeking a few days of silence and retreat, with stays of up to about eight days; it is booked directly with the monastery.

Getting there and combining it

The monastery is on the Mélida road, in Carcastillo. It is the natural stop between Olite and the northern entrance to the Bardenas, and it can be combined on the same day with Ujué or with the Pitillas lagoon.