Monastery of San Pedro de Cardeña

Barely ten kilometres from the centre of Burgos, in the municipality of Castrillo del Val, stands the Monastery of San Pedro de Cardeña, an abbey that still keeps monastic life alive today under the Trappist rule. Its proximity to the city makes it an easy escape for anyone wishing to swap the urban bustle for the silence of a fully working monastery.

This is no ordinary building. Its heritage value was recognised early on: a decree of 3 June 1931 declared it a Historic-Artistic Monument belonging to the National Artistic Treasure, at a time when the state was beginning to systematically catalogue the great jewels of its history. Today that protection takes the form of Bien de Interés Cultural status, the highest level of heritage protection in Spain.

Added to this recognition is its link with one of Europe's most celebrated routes. When UNESCO approved the extension of the Camino de Santiago in Spain in 2015 under the name "Routes of Santiago de Compostela: Camino Francés and Routes of Northern Spain", the documentation submitted by Spain included an inventory of elements associated with the pilgrimage route. Listed in it, as number 979, is San Pedro de Cardeña itself, placing it within the broad map of sites that give the pilgrimage its historical meaning.

For all these reasons, a visit has a twofold appeal: that of a monument protected for almost a century and that of a religious community that still lives within its walls. It is best approached calmly and respectfully, bearing in mind that this is a place of prayer as well as a place of history, and you can take advantage of its closeness to Burgos to round off a day devoted to Castilian heritage.