Monasterio El Paular

Crossing the Puerto de la Morcuera (1,796m/5,892ft) and following the beautiful valley of the Río Lozoya, the visitor will come to the Monasterio El Paular (1,153m/3,783ft; 2km/1mi west of Rascafría). It was founded in 1390 as a Carthusian monastery but is today occupied by Benedictine monks. The monastery was designed by the Moor Abd ar-Rahman from Segovia, while Juan Guas was responsible for its completion. The buildings around the cloister have been partly converted into a hotel. In the church, which was rebuilt in the Baroque style following the earthquake of 1755, the visitor can see the magnificently furnished Capilla del Tabernáculo of 1724 and a fine Dutch marble high-altar dating from the 15th century.