The monastery of Santa María de Monsalud is an old Cistercian monastery in Córcoles, the province of Guadalajara, Castilla–La Mancha, Spain. Declared a historical-artistic monument belonging to the National Artistic Treasure by decree of June 3, 1931, today it is considered a property of cultural interest.
There are not many data about its foundation, although it must be appeared during the 12th century. The first reliable document where it appears dates back to 1167 and in it Juan de Treves, archdeacon of Huete, grants the monastery and the Cistercian Order the village of Córcoles with all its lands, confirmed in 1169 by King Alfonso VIII of Castile.
Its mother house was the Carthusian monastery of Scala Dei (Escaladei, La Morera de Montsant, Tarragona) from which came its first abbot, Fortún Donato, and some of the later ones. The monastery became an important pilgrimage focus due to the devotion to the image of the Virgin of Monsalud.
Between 2015 and 2016, after decades of neglect, the monastery was partially restored and adapted as a museum dedicated to witchcraft in La Alcarria.
GPS coordinates: 40°29′28″N 2°39′00″W
How to get to?
From Madrid 1 hr 34 min (124 km) via A-2 and N-320
From Toledo 2 hr 4 min (186 km) via A-42 and N-320
From Guadalajara 47 min (60.6 km) via N-320
