Our travels next took us to Montblanc, no not in France, but a beautiful walled 12 century town to the north of Tarragona. This is the place that Saint George slayed the dragon. Yes, the patron Saint of England killed the dragon in Spain! He was born in Palestine and killed in Turkey.
On our way here we stopped to see the Monastery at Santes Crues, part of three monasteries know as the Cistercian Triangle. We’ll visit the other two on Friday. This place was a place of worship, service and prayer from 1158 until 1835, and is now a national monument, and no wonder. A wonderful building showing the star austerity that the Cistercian monks were called to. No comforts of life, just simple. and sometimes difficult lives dedicated to prayer and self-sufficiency, working the land. That said, this monastery simply oozed spirituality, for me anyway. Was it the lack of any comforts of life, the few elaborate artifacts and symbols of religion, or the extremely peaceful surroundings and, as pictured above, sparse chapel, the place where I personally felt that ‘presence’ of God.
This is definitely a spiritual place. The presence of God can be felt here among the sheer hardship of life as a monk. This place has been at prayer for over 900 years – God invoked daily in the rule of life followed by the Cistercians. Does that simple act of daily asking for God to be present in a place make a difference? Even mealtimes were silent when the Abbot would read scripture whilst you ate.
Holy Places - a journey of discovery 