Continuing the Day
We headed next to the winery, to view and to sample (of course). It was a little to early, as they didn't open until 11 AM, so we first checked out the Ovila Room, which has a lot about the history of the monastery and the Sacred Stones. It also had a DVD will different videos regarding the history both of the acquisition of the stones and the Cisterian construction which is a combination of Romanesque (thick walls and thin windows) and Gothic (thin walls and large stained glass windows). We then were able to head over to the wine tasting room.
As we were waiting for the winery to open, we noticed 3 different workers who all seemed like typical wine cellar workers (all prepared to talk about the nutty flavor, the legs of the wine, and other non-comprehensible terminology). To our delight, in walked a monk, who was the one that ended up serving us.
As we were waiting for the winery to open, we noticed 3 different workers who all seemed like typical wine cellar workers (all prepared to talk about the nutty flavor, the legs of the wine, and other non-comprehensible terminology). To our delight, in walked a monk, who was the one that ended up serving us.
It turned out that Brother Rafael, who was serving us the wine and explaining it, is the monk in charge of the production of the grapes. He had just returned from Turkey where, as part of his Theology classes, he had visited the seven churches mentioned in the book of Revelation. Since we were pilgrims much more than wine connoisseurs, we were able to learn about the wine and the grapes but also talk about the faith. As I listened to him talk, I thought more and more than his accent sounded as if he were from South America. I was correct! He is Ecuadorian and has spent time in Colombia, where my wife is from. He ended up taking us to their completely packed wine "cellar" and introducing us to the woman in charge of the production of the wine. It was quite providential that we had came across Brother Rafael.
Our final stop at the abbey was to visit the rebuilt Chapter House. We were able to see up close and personal, the ancient (800-year-old) stones that were mixed in with the newer ones that had been cut to replace those that had been damaged. At this point, the Chapter House is just a shell - with no windows, no doors, etc. - so we had to use our imagination to envision what it will look like in the future. Just being inside the shell of a building that is 800-years-old was still quite moving, especially after listening to the words of the abbot who, in the video, had described the stones as "singing out" to be "home" with the monks again.
You can click here to visit the next part of the blog, which describes the last part of our pilgrimage, the tour of the Sierra Nevada Brewery. Below are some more pictures of the Chapter House.
You can click here to visit the next part of the blog, which describes the last part of our pilgrimage, the tour of the Sierra Nevada Brewery. Below are some more pictures of the Chapter House.