The monks are long gone, but this Spanish monastery has been converted into a heavenly retreat

Midway through our epic multi-course lunch with all the trimmings – miniature handbag stools; anchovy butter; little rolls of beetroot on top of seaweed, barely visible through the billowing dry ice – I’m being asked a question.

“Don’t you feel a little uncomfortable enjoying all this in the refectory where monks ate bread and soup in silence before retiring, not to the pool for a siesta, but to their cells for further prayer and circumspection?”

“Not at all,” I tell my wife, Joanna. Granted, it’s a tetchy riposte. But I plead that the monks should be delighted that their 12th century monastery has been restored with such extraordinary reverence and transformed into a heavenly retreat, amid rows of immaculate vines – remarkably similar to those that have sustained them for centuries.

“Just ask,” says Joanna, undergoing a conversion a few hours later and proposing to return to Abadia Retuerta, a few hours’ drive north of Madrid, each year, as long as the good God is willing. to us.

Consider it done, although we still have some pennies to save. Rooms aren’t cheap here, but what you get in return goes way beyond food and lodging. Suffice to say, I come out with a grand statement on day two that understandably cuts little ice with Joanna. “I feel like a better person,” I tell her.

Trite but true. The monks may be long gone – expelled in 1835 when the Spanish Prime Minister had a Henry VIII moment and shut down all monastic communities – but in a sense they are still there.

You can feel their presence in the vaulted cloisters and chapter house; through the wide corridors that stretch the entire length of the building; down by the canal and river Duarte where fruits, vegetables and herbs make the short journey from raised beds to the kitchens; and in the huge Baroque/Romanesque church itself, which takes little imagination to see the priests enter, dressed in their white and cream robes. The staff, many of them local, wear the same colors as they fly around.

On the main terrace, swifts and swallows flit from one crevice to the next, while at the top of the bell tower, the semi-permanent hotel residents occasionally flap their wings to protect their offspring. These are the storks, a male and female that spend their winters in Africa before returning here each spring to breed, their 90 cm high nest built on a man-made platform just below a small cross. Pride of place.

Pictured is the walled pool at Abadia Retuerta. “Making a splash here wouldn’t fit the serene vibe,” says Mark

Wine is central to Abadia, Mark reveals. Above you can see the special mix of the retreat

There were once 600 monasteries of the French Premonstratensian Order in Europe, but Abadia Retuerta is one of only two to survive. It is owned by Novartis, the pharmaceutical company based in Basel, Switzerland, which acquired the entire estate in 2008 and set up a project that has consistently received critical acclaim from various heritage authorities.

Novartis has a renowned collection of art, some of which adorn the walls of the hotel – mainly the work of 17th-century painters such as Guardi, along with tapestries from the Louis XIV period and creations by the likes of Spanish sculptor Eduardo Chillida.

Wine is central to Abadia. Indeed, if you’re not interested in or don’t want to learn about the intricacies and challenges of producing wines – mainly from the tempranillo grape – in an area of ​​northern Spain that often suffers from rain well into early spring damaging frost, then you might be better off going to the Costas instead.

“It’s good that the grapes suffer, but not too much,” says Francisco Sanchez de Puerta Galvan, who has been working at Abadia Retuerta for 12 years with his great name and great knowledge.

We join one of his estate tours, in which he tells us that over 5,000 pine trees were planted in the 1990s to protect the vines. He also explains how the estate was one of the first to use windmills to blow the cold air away from the budding grapes. We finish with a tasting at the factory and then have lunch outside the visitor center.

I’ve always been shortchanged by tapas, but not this time. And rarely do I get an encore to an entire Michelin performance, but that luncheon in the refectory, with an original painting of the Last Supper above our table – discovered during the restoration of the convent – ​​was awe-inspiring.

This is not a tourist area of ​​Spain. The nearest coast is over 150 miles away, but the region is rich in interest.

Half an hour west of Abadia Retuerta is Valladolid, once the capital of the Spanish Empire, where Philip II was born – the man who might have reformed Britain if Elizabeth I had accepted his proposal of marriage in 1559.

In the other direction is Penafiel, famous for its 10th century castle that stands imperious on a hill above the sleepy town.

‘Rooms aren’t cheap here, but what you get in return goes way beyond food and shelter,’ says Mark

But it’s not half as sleep-inducing as the walled pool at the Abadia Retuerta – reached by high metal gates – where guests seem to whisper. Making a splash here wouldn’t fit the serene vibe.

Our room, with warm wood, handmade furniture, French doors and a French balcony, has a similar atmosphere.

There is no signage anywhere, no clutter and the spa is hidden underground. Choose a treatment and the wine will come out again.

You are invited to choose from oils with sauvignon blanc, syrah or the winery’s Seleccion Especial (special selection) blend. A bottle of this wine costs around £30 if you ever come across it in the UK. It’s nectar.

The Norbertine Order was founded in the early 12th century by Norbertus van Xanten, who was canonized in 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII. His statue stood above the colonnade of the Piazza in St. Peter’s Square in Rome. Norbert was a strict disciplinarian (three of his followers died from the austere lifestyle) and was credited with a number of miracles.

What is now happening in his monastery may not be miraculous, but it is certainly divine.

SIX OF THE BEST HOTEL RENOVATIONS IN EUROPE

By Margherita della Gherardesca

Monastero Santa Rosa, Amalfi Coast, Italy

Dominican nuns at this former 17th-century convent once produced cream-filled pastries and medical remedies from the herbs and flowers grown in the gardens. Under the motto ‘The sun from every window, the sea from every window’, the hotel now offers unbridled luxury and one of the most impressive infinity pools in Europe. B&B doubles from £770 (monasterosantarosa.com).

Enjoy ‘unbridled luxury’ at Monastero Santa Rosa on Italy’s Amalfi Coast

Steigenberger Inselhotel, Lake Constance, Germany

The inventors of the Zeppelin airship converted this 13th-century convent into a hotel in the 19th century, with most of the 100 rooms overlooking the lake. Inside there are murals depicting the history of the monks and the city of Konstanz. B&B doubles from £210 (hrewards.com).

Katikies Garden, Santorini, Greece

Located in the historic capital of Santorini, Katikies Garden is a contemporary adaptation of an 11th-century Catholic monastery. It has 40 rooms and a renowned restaurant, Selene, with Michelin star chef Ettore Botrini at the helm. B&B doubles from £400 (katikies. com).

Abbaye de la Bussiere, Cote-d’Or, France

Ancient frescoes were discovered during the renovation of this 12th-century Cistercian abbey, which sits on 7 hectares of land next to the Burgundy Canal. With only 20 rooms, the hotel offers a peaceful location for wine lovers. B&B doubles from £240 (abbayedelabussiere.fr).

Convento Espinheiro, Evora, Portugal

In the 15th century, after stories of an apparition of the Virgin Mary surfaced, this chapel was built. Soon it developed into a monastery for the Order of Saint Jerome, patronized by nobles and kings of Portugal. The 90-room hotel is located ten minutes from the city of Evora, with its Roman Temple and Chapel of Bones. B&B doubles from £190 (conventodoespinheiro.com).

San Clemente Palace, Venice, Italy

This 12th century chapel was originally a hospice for pilgrims and soldiers on their way to the Holy Land. It occupies its own small island next to Venice and is a five-minute boat ride from St. Mark’s Square. B&B doubles from £420 (kempinski.com).