The royal monastery of Santa María de la Valldigna in the Alfandec valley was founded in 1298 by King James II the Just, king of the Crown of Aragon when he donated the Mariñén and Alcalá valleys to friar Bononat de Vilaseca, abbot of the Santes Creus monastery. Part of the Cistercian order, it became a branch of the Santes Creus monastery, with which its construction bears a strong resemblance as it maintains the structural model of the complexes within the Cistercian order.¹

 

The monastery is located in what is now the town of Simat de Valldigna (Plaza de la Abadía, 3) in Safor county, and it can be reached from three different routes: from the coast via the Mediterranean motorway, taking the Tavernes de Valldigna turn off and heading towards Simat de Valldigna; from inland along the local road from Xàtiva; or from the south along the local highway from Gandía, going through Barx. It has an ample timetable, which means you can visit it in both summer and winter. For further information, please call 96 281 16 36 or check the websites www.monasteriovalldigna.es or www.fundaciojaumeeljust.es.

 

The monastery’s lengthy construction process was conditioned by the two earthquakes that besieged the county and marked the start of a new phase of remodelling and refitting in the style and architecture popular at the time. The first stage corresponds to the 14^th century buildings, which met the monastic needs of the primitive community: cloister, church, chapter house and refectory. Even today we can see some of these remains embedded within the later construction, such as part of the church walls and the Portal Nou (new façade). After the 1399 earthquake, and more specifically, as of the second half of the 15^th century, the complex was expanded and many of the monastery’s spaces were rebuilt, while other new ones were erected, more in line with the size and prominence of the monastery. Finally, after the 1644 earthquake, the 17^th century marked a new period that would update the mediaeval image and furnish some of the elements in the complex with more Baroque-style decoration, as can be seen in the church’s internal ornamentation. Moreover, there are certain reforms which can be seen around the entire building, such as the crenellated finishes on top of many of its rooms, which arose from the threats from pirates that were haunting the eastern coast of Spain during the 16^th century.

 

The main quarters in the complex are arrayed around the cloister: the church to the north; the sacristy, the chapter house and the dormitories to the east; the kitchens and refectory to the south; and the quarters of the recently converted monks to the west. Not far from from this centre, in the eastern part of the complex, is the abbot’s palace with the quarters of the governor of the monastery. Many of these quarters have disappeared, others are in ruins, while the most fortunate ones have been reconstructed based on the remains and information we have on them.

 

The monastery was surrounded by a defensive area that is still preserved, which ensures its isolation from society and from possible attacks on the monastery and its neighbouring towns, as it served as a refuge for the villagers. The monastery complex was entered through the Portal Nou. This was the primitive entrance gateway made during the abbotship of Armau d’Aranyó, or Saranyó (1357-1387), whose coat-of-arms, along with that of the Crown of Aragon, even today decorates the frontispiece of the portico. This space was reformed during the 16^th and 18^th centuries, and new buildings were added, such as the chapel to the Virgin of Grace. The portal is designed based on a solid pointed arch with large voussoirs, and two quadrangular towers flanking it which create an indoor covered space with a ribbed vault. In essence, it follows the same model as the monumental entrance doors to special areas, such as monasteries or even cities, including the entrance door to the Santes Creus monastery or the Portal de Serranos in Valencia, built years later.