Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe


World Heritage Identification Number: 665

World Heritage since: 1993

Category: Cultural Heritage

Transboundary Heritage: No

Endangered Heritage: No

Country: 🇪🇸 Spain

Continent: Europe

UNESCO World Region: Europe and North America

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The Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe: A Testament to History and Architecture

The Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe, nestled at the foot of the Sierra de las Villuercas in Extremadura, Spain, stands as a testament to the rich tapestry of history and architectural prowess that has shaped the Iberian Peninsula. Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993, this monumental structure offers a unique glimpse into the cultural, religious, and political milestones that have marked Western civilization.

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UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

The monastery is an outstanding repository of four centuries of Spanish religious architecture. It symbolizes two significant events in world history that occurred in 1492: the Reconquest of the Iberian peninsula by the Catholic Kings and Christopher Columbus' arrival in the Americas. Its famous statue of the Virgin became a powerful symbol of the Christianization of much of the New World.

Encyclopedia Record: Monastery of Saint Mary of Guadalupe

The Royal Monastery of Saint Mary of Guadalupe is a Roman Catholic monastic establishment built during the 14th century located in Guadalupe, in Extremadura, Spain. It is located at the foot of the eastern side of the Sierra de las Villuercas and was one of the finest and most important monasteries in the country for more than four centuries. UNESCO declared it a World Heritage Site in 1993.

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Additional Site Details

Area: 1.1 hectares

UNESCO Criteria: (iv) — Outstanding example of a type of building or landscape
(vi) — Directly associated with events or living traditions

Coordinates: 39.45285 , -5.3275

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Image of Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe

Jörn Wendland, Public domain

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Nearby World Heritage Sites

Heritage of Mercury. Almadén and Idrija
86 km — Slovenia, Spain
Old Town of Cáceres
90 km — Spain
Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida
106 km — Spain
Historic City of Toledo
120 km — Spain
Old Town of Ávila with its Extra-Muros Churches
144 km — Spain

Country Information: Spain

Flag of Spain

Official Name: Kingdom of Spain

Capital: Madrid

Continent: Europe

Population (2024): 48,807,137

Population (2023): 48,347,910

Population (2022): 47,786,102

Land Area: 499,730 sq km

Currency: Euro (EUR)

Country Data Sources

Last updated: January 18, 2026

Portions of the page Royal Monastery of Santa María de Guadalupe are based on data from UNESCO — World Heritage List Dataset and on text from the Wikipedia article Monastery of Saint Mary of Guadalupe, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes made. Additional original content by World Heritage Explorer (WHE), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. WHE is not affiliated with UNESCO or the World Heritage Committee. Legal Notice. Privacy Policy.

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