Cistern Route

Over the centuries, Costa Daurada has been home to some of the most emblematic civilisations in human history.. Among the most important examples of this artistic legacy, the ancient Roman heritage sites in Tarragona and Cistercian heritage sites in Poblet stand out. Both have been declared official World Heritage Sites by the UNESCO

 The Cistercian Route is an expression that identifies a particular territory consists of the counties of Alt Camp, Conca de Barberà and Urgell and its 65 municipalities.

 The Cistercian Route is a tour of three monasteries founded by Cistercian monks, namely, the monasteries of Poblet, Santes Creus and Vallbona de les Monges. Administrative buildings, hospitals, chapels and houses for craftsmen were built in all three towns, and farms were created in and around them. The Cistercian Route serves as a link between all three.

The route begins at the Santes Creus monastery, which was founded in 1150 AD and is the only one no longer inhabited by monks. Visitors to the Santes Creus complex can also see the Vila-rodona columbarium, the tomb of King Pere el Gran (Peter III of Aragon) or the Romanesque church of El Pla, dedicated to St. Mary. The monastery complex was declared a National Historical and Artistic Monument in 1951. The crown jewel of the route, however, is the Poblet monastery, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991. Built the same year as the Santes Creus monastery, the Poblet monastery is still home today to an order of monks. The monastery is also home to two supplementary museums: the King Martin's Palace Museum and the Restoration Museum. The route ends in Vallbona de les Monges, in the province of Lleida. This town's monastery joined the Cistercian order in 1176 and is female, that is, a convent. It has been inhabited by nuns without interruption for 800 years.

 The GR 175, the Cistercian Route, is circular with a total of 105 km and 108 km for cyclists. The Cistercian Route is suitable for anyone who is used to hiking, since it does not entail anything harder than some moderate slopes and the distance itself. You can do it in as many stages as you like, always taking into account how long you can spend on it, what you are aiming at and how fit you are.

There are some striking experiences to be enjoyed along the way, such as evening prayers at Poblet accompanied by the monks’ canticles following a superb walk over the wooded hills of Prades - Paratge de Poblet; the idyllic approach to Vallbona de les Monges through the vineyards of La Conca and the fields of L’Urgell, which complements perfectly the nuns’ contemplative Vespers; or a hike along the rugged ridge of El Cogulló and the contrasting flatlands of L’Alt Camp to get to the impressive monastery of Santes Creus. 

The GR 175, the Cistercian Route, is more than just a footpath, it is the link between the three most outstanding monasteries of the Cistercian Order in Catalonia, a walk through the history of its towns, the close-up to some man-modelled lands and some pristine natural features, the taste of an original local cuisine, rooted as firmly to the landscape as the people who live and love the area.  This route is all you are willing to come across. It is the GR 175, the Cistercian Route.

Más información: www.larutadelcister.info