Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: Santa Maria la Real de Las Huelgas,

The abbey was founded in 1187 by Alfonso VIII of Castile and his wife Eleanor of England, daughter of Henry II of England and Eleanor of Aquitaine (sister of "Richard the Lionheart" and "John Lackland"). Eleanor´s mother had close contacts to Bernard of Clairvaux, so it is no wonder, that Cistercian nuns lived here. The abbey was really important and became the burial place of the royal family. It is a great place and it is open to the public, but unfortunately (for me), tourists can only visit on guided tours, that have a very strict time frame. To take photographs is not allowed at all during the tours. I would have liked to stay inside for a couple of hours - but I could not. This site has some nice interior shots: www.paradoxplace.com/Photo%20Pages/Spain/Camino_de_Santia...