The monasteries in Spain where you can spend the night

 

 

 

 

The Monasteries of Suso y Yuso de San Millán de la Cogolla, located in La Rioja, were both declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. The Royal Monastery of San Millán de Yuso was ordered to be built by King García Sánchez III of Pamplona and its library is considered to be the cradle of the Spanish language because of its ancient texts. 

 

The hotel here offers a unique stay in one of 25 rooms and suites, including the royal suite. Rooms are more luxurious than what you'd expect for a nun or a monk, however, and are of four-star quality. 

 

Stay at Hostería San Millán de la Cogolla in the wine country of La Rioja. Photo: Jose Luis Filpo Cabana / Wikimedia Commons

 

 

Monasterio de Piedra, Zaragoza

If your appreciation for religious architecture matches your appreciation for chocolate, then a couple of nights at the Monasterio de Piedra near the city of Zaragoza, is just what you need. 

The Monastery was built during the transition from Romanesque to Gothic periods and monks have lived here for more than 600 years. Some of the very first cacao beans that the explorer Hernán Cortés brought back from the Americas were sent here along with an Aztec recipe. The recipe was for a drink that contained cocoa beans, corn, water and chilli, but upon finding this recipe too bitter, the monks at the monastery experimented by adding things such as sugar, milk, vanilla and cinnamon, to make it into the type of chocolate we know and love today. 

62 rooms are set around the new cloister from the 17th century and offer luxury hotel-like facilities. 

READ ALSO: How Spain invented modern chocolate – and kept it secret for 100 years

Check out the birthplace of modern-day chocolate at the Monasterio de Piedra. Photo: Demilune / Wikimedia Commons

 

Monasterio de Leyre, Navarra

San Salvador de Leyre sits on a natural ledge in the Sierra de Leyre, looking out over the Yesa Reservoir, nicknamed the 'Sea of ​​the Pyrenees'. If the landscape alone, at the foot of the Pyrenees in Navarra doesn't put you in a spiritual frame of mind, then a night spent under its imposing vaulted ceilings just might.  

The Monasterio de Leyre was founded in the 10th century by Benedictine monks, who still inhabit it today. If you want to join them, the monastery offers 32 simple two-star style rooms. Double rooms start from €108 in the high season and €92 in the low season. 

Lay your head down at the Monasterio de Leyre in Navarra. Photo: Jl FilpoC / Wikimedia Commons

 

Monasterio de Santo Domingo de Silos, Burgos

One of the most celebrated Benedictine abbeys in all of Spain is Burgos' Monasterio de Santo Domingo. Its cloister is a masterpiece of the Spanish Romanesque style and its origins date all the way back to the 7th century. Over 1,300 years later, the monastery is still welcoming both monks and travellers and offers comfortable rooms. You can even stay to pray and eat with the monks if you wish, embracing the whole religious experience. 

Become a monk for the night at Monasterio de Santo Domingo de Silos/ Photo: José Antonio Gil Martínez / WikimediaCommons