page_title: Santa María la Real of Nájera
section_title: Monastery
hierarchical_section_title: Santa María la Real of Nájera / Monastery
caption_attribution_description: Español: Santa María la Real, Nájera, La Rioja.
context_page_description: Santa María la Real is a monastery in the small town of Nájera in the La Rioja community, Spain. Originally a royal foundation, it was ceded by Alfonso VI to the Cluniac order. It was an important pilgrimage stop on the Camino de Santiago. It is particularly well known for the woodwork in the choir of the church.
context_section_description: The exterior of the Monastery of Santa María la Real de Nájera is a mixture of different styles, fruit of its long story. Defensive needs led to high walls and buttress with the function of bastions. The 17th century left the decoration of the walls and the doors and the squared tower. The portico of the church was built between the years 1621 and 1625.
  Inside the monastery, two main areas can be discerned: the church with the Royal Mausoleum and the cloister, so-called of the Knights. The access to the cloister is through the so-called Gate of Charles I. This gate is of flamboyant style and is very decorated; a big coat of arms of Charles I can be found above it with a double-headed eagle. This coat of arms was carried to honor the king, who generously contributed to the construction of the cloister.
  The stairs to access the upper cloister can be found next to the gate. This stairs are in Renaissance style and is covered with a hemispherical dome decorated with panels painted in Trompe-l'œil. The central motif of the decoration is a bird: a pelican. The date of its construction is the year 1594 and it is called the Royal Stairs.
caption: View of the dome with Trompe-l'œil. On the right the Guard rail of the Royal Stairs.
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