The Monastery
In the 13th century, the Cistercian Order built the Monastery of Santa María de la Sierra on the Segovian slopes of the Sierra de Guadarrama, following their strict architectural principles. It stands in one of the most beautiful natural settings in the region.
This marked the beginning of a small monastic community that would flourish to the point of hosting kings by the 14th century. However, the monastery gradually fell into decline and was abandoned in the second half of the 18th century. During the 19th-century disentailment, the site became an agricultural and livestock farm, eventually left to ruin.
In 2005, by a twist of fate, Elena Goded, founder of ÁBBATTE, and her husband acquired the ruins of the monastery.
“I didn’t go looking for the monastery; it found me. And we committed to caring for it as best we could,” she explains.
The following years were crucial for consolidating the remains of the abbey, which were in a state of severe deterioration. A local craftsman stabilised the structure, stone by stone, reinforcing the upper perimeter of the building with a tension ring. A continuous, manual effort has since gone into its maintenance: clearing wild vegetation growing between the stones and removing mineral residues caused by water erosion.
Today, the Monastery of Santa María de la Sierra stands as the emblem of ÁBBATTE, a building that embodies the values of craftsmanship, permanence, and deep connection to place.
