Without mentioning the Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, a World Heritage Site that deserves a whole day spent visiting it, this route will take you to the monastery of Santa María de El Paular and the convent of San Antonio, the two most ancient and emblematic monasteries in the Madrid Region, in addition to the upper basins of the Lozoya and Manzanares Rivers, which rise and run through the north and south slopes, respectively, of the Cuerda Larga in the north of the province. The scenery in the valleys, which for centuries have provided several small, farming communities with shelter and food, is magnificent.
There are two itineraries going from the upper basin of the Manzanares River to that of the Lozoya River: either through the Navacerrada Pass or the La Morcuera Pass, both are equally attractive, but perhaps the latter is less well known, and also more dependent on the season and weather conditions.
There are several areas that are important environmentally, and justify spending several days in order to get to know this part of the Madrid Region better.
Colmenar Viejo[+]
Settled by people from Segovia during the Reconquest; John I gave it to Pedro González de Mendoza; it has been a "Villa", a town with special privileges, since 1504. It is famous for its livestock and the granite quarries used in building Manzanares el Real castle and El Paular monastery. You must visit: the Gothic Nuestra Señora de la Asunción church (14th-16th centuries), which is a national monument and was built by the Mendoza family; there is an impressive polychromed Renaissance altarpiece (1574). At Soto el Real, choose one of the routes leading to the Lozoya Valley.
Manzanares el Real[+]
The town was settled in 1247 by shepherds from Segovia, at the foot of La Pedriza, on the banks of the Manzanares River.
0% your edit
Castillo-Palacio de Manzanares (1417-1500), catalogado como Monumento Histórico Artístico desde 1931; fue fundado por el primer marqués de Santillana, don Íñigo López de Mendoza; el desarrollo del proyecto hasta su finalización fue obra de los sucesivos duques del Infantado, quienes contaron en su fase final con Juan Güas, arquitecto de los Reyes Católicos.
Manzanares Castle-Palace (1417-1500), listed as a historical and artistic interest site since 1931; it was founded by the first Marquess of Santillana, Iñigo López de Mendoza; the project was carried out by successive Dukes del Infantado, and the final stage was supervised by Juan Güas, architect to the Catholic Monarchs.
The Madrid Region is currently responsible for its upkeep and visits.
Regional Park of the Manzanares River Upper Basin (46,000 hect.): imperial eagles, golden eagles, griffon vultures and peregrine falcons fly over the rocky crags. Regional Park Information Centre: exhibitions on the ethnology and environment of this splendid area of the Madrid Region.
Puerto de Navacerrada (1860 mt.)
Go down to Valcotos, from where you can enter the Parque de la Cumbre Park, cirque and Peñalara lakes (768 hect.). A few kilometres down the valley is the royal monastery of El Paular.
Guadalix de la Sierra
On the orders of Alfonso X, this crossroads was settled by livestock farmers from Segovia; it later became part of the Mendoza estate (1389). Gothic San Juan Bautista church (1540), the image of the Virgin is from the 13th century. The traditional buildings were the backdrop to the film Bienvenido Mister Marshall (1952), by Luis García Berlanga.
Rascafría[+]
The parish church of Rascafría is the Gothic-Renaissance San Andrés Apóstol (16th century); below the ribbed vaulting is a font and an image of the Virgen de la Gracia (13th century).
Royal Monastery of Santa María de El Paular
This was built by John I in 1390 and, after his sudden death, continued by Henry III, who added a small palace for retreats. In 1440, work finished on the first Carthusian monastery in the kingdom of Castile and León. The seizure of the monasteries in 1836 forced the monks to leave the monastery, and it was abandoned; until then, the Carthusians had accumulated great wealth and political power known as the "Carthusian Estate", and contributed to the founding of other Carthusian monasteries. Since 1954, it has been inhabited by Benedictine monks, who keep it up and show visitors around.
It contains a great many things to remind you of its splendid past: from the Gothic period, there is the old cloister, the elegant new cloister, the refectory, the church portal and the altarpiece for the main altar, a magnificent Flemish work in polychromed alabaster. From the Baroque period, the Transparente preserves all its splendour, with the Sagrario chapel inside, made of semi-precious stone in hundreds of colours. The hunting lodge and the small palace built by Henry III, whose cloister is entered through the door by Rodrigo Gil de Hontañon, now form part of a hotel. Perdón Bridge (15th century) over the Lozoya River was used in the Middle Ages to commute or confirm sentences given to the criminals of the "sexmo de Lozoya". Information and Environmental Education Centre:
programme of themed walks and activities to get to know the flora and fauna on the valley.
Lozoya[+]
As with other villages in the valley, it was settled during the Reconquest to prevent the Moors from advancing to attack Segovia. The streets, the colonnaded square, Renaissance houses and San Nicolás church (16th century) remind you of the town's illustrious past.
La Cabrera[+]
This town began life at the foot of the top of Mount La Miel (1,391 mt.), where the Moors decided to build a castle. "Villa de San Roque" Sierra Norte Mountains Tourism Centre: has an eco-museum and botanical gardens, not to be missed if you want to find out more about the history and characteristics of the Sierra Norte Mountains of Madrid.
San Antonio convent
San Julián monastery, as it was first called, is one of the first Benedictine monasteries of the Cluny order in the Iberian peninsula (11th century). The Franciscans took it over in the 14th century and gave it its present name. This religious centre became a university of theology and was frequented by Henry II, John II, Henry IV, the Marquess of Santillana and Cardinal Cisneros, who buried his father here; it was also used as a prison during the War of Independence. At present, it is run, and teaching is done by a community of Franciscan monks. The church is small, consisting of three naves with five apses on different levels to cope with the irregular rocky terrain. It is worth a visit to see the splendid, panoramic views.
Enlarge map