Santa María la Real de las Huelgas

monastery, Burgos, Spain

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 13, 2026

Quick Summary

Santa María la Real de las Huelgas was originally a summer palace for the kings of Castile. In 1187, Alfonso VIII transformed it into a Cistercian convent. It is located in Burgos, Spain. The city of Burgos itself was founded in 884 and served as the capital of the county and later the kingdom of Castile. The cathedral in Burgos, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was founded in 1221.1

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

2 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Burgos
…Esteban (1280–1350); the monastery of Santa María la Real de las Huelgas, which was originally a summer palace of the kings of Castile and was transformed into a Cistercian convent in 1187 by Alfonso VIII; and numerous convents and monasteries in the environs of the city.
Read More
…Esteban (1280–1350); the monastery of Santa María la Real de las Huelgas, which was originally a summer palace of the kings of Castile and was transformed into a Cistercian convent in 1187 by Alfonso VIII; and numerous convents and monasteries in the environs of the city.
Read More