This age-old monastery was founded in the year 952 under the advocation of San Salvador. conceived as a family and double monastery. that is. for men and women. Its creation was sponsored by the Counts of Présaras and by San Pedro de Mezonzo. abbot of Sobrado before becoming bishop of Compostela. Little is known about its first 150 years; only that during this time pilgrims already took refuge in the monastery on their way to the Holy Place. It has been abandoned since the beginning of the 12th century. Bernardo de Fontaines. better known as Saint Bernard. would be the one to revitalise the activity of the monastery. He was then abbot of Clairvaux in France and sent a community of Cistercian monks to renovate the convent. Thus. the monastery of Saint Mary of Sobrado was born on 14 February 1142. the first Cistercian centre in Spain. Several centuries later. in 1498. it became part of the Cistercian Congregation of Castile. The building of the church began in the year 1150 and was almost entirely replaced by the Baroque sanctuary (17th century) which has been preserved to this day. From the original construction are the chapter house (1215-20). the chapel of St. John the Baptist (1230) and the kitchen. also from the 13th century. Worth mentioning is the chapel. a sober Romanesque construction accessible after passing a round arch supported by pilasters. It is also the oldest part of the monastery. since although the chapter house is earlier. in 1965 it had to be rebuilt. The 15th century marks the beginning of a period of rejuvenation of the building. Precisely as a result of the adhesion of the convent to the Castilian congregation. most of the buildings that are still preserved at present were built. Also from this period are the new main cloister or cloister of the medallions. erected in 1560. and the sacristy. a classicist work carried out by Juan de Herrera between 1569 and 1572.