Abandoned monastery of Santa María de Carracedo, El Bierzo, León, Spain - stock photo

This spectacular building, abandoned for several centuries, is located in the town of Carracedo del Monasterio in the El Bierzo region, between Ponferrada and Villafranca del Bierzo (very close to Cacabelos). It is a Benedictine monastery founded by Bermudo II 'El Gotoso' in the year 990. The War of Independence, with the invasion of the French and the different ecclesiastical confiscations were the cause of its total abandonment. In the image we see the detail of a semicircular arch that gives access to one of the rooms of the abandoned monastery