Cañas Monastery

In the small Riojan village of Cañas stands a place that has managed to preserve something rare: the way of life for which it was built. The Monastery of Santa María de San Salvador de Cañas is still home to a community of Cistercian nuns, so those who make the trip here are not visiting an empty building, but a religious house that remains in use.

Its nickname, the Monastery of Light, already hints at the character of the complex, and it is the name by which many of those who come here know it. It is worth bearing in mind as you explore, because that name neatly sums up the impression this abbey leaves in visitors' memories.

Cañas matters for more than its beauty. The community that lives here was one of the first female Cistercian communities on the peninsula, making the monastery a first-rate testament to how the order took root among women in Spanish lands. Today the nuns belong to the Cistercian Order of Saint Bernard, also known as the Order of Castile, and form part of the congregation of monasteries of Cistercian nuns of Saint Bernard.

The value of the complex was officially recognised in 1943, when it was declared a National Monument. That protection has helped it survive to the present day as one of the benchmarks of La Rioja's monastic heritage.

For travellers interested in religious history and in places that retain their original heartbeat, Cañas is a highly recommended stop. It is best visited unhurriedly and with the respect due to a place where people still pray and live according to the Cistercian rule today.