The Monasterio de Piedra is in one of the most barren areas of Spain. Its origins date back to 1194, when Alfonso II of Aragon, and his wife Doña Sancha donated an old Moorish castle to the monks of Poblet to build a monastery. The work started in 1195 and was completed in 1218.
The monastery was closed down in 1835 during Isabella II of Spain's rule as a consequence of the Ecclesiastical Confiscations of Mendizábal. The Desamortización or secularization of the place brought monastic life to an end and the main church was destroyed. The main building has been converted today into a quiet hotel.
The region is a popular tourist destination for hiking, camping, and water sports.
The Iris Cavern
Next, a hole in the rock announces the descent and suggests that the views will be great.
The hole is actually a door, the beginning of the ladder, once again carved into the rock, which descends from the Cola de Caballo fifty meters down, with openings in the rock as balconies or small windows that allow us stop for a moment and admire the grandeur of the landscape that lies before us.
At the end of the stairs there is an even greater surprise. We come to a large cavern which is right behind the waterfall, which we see as a curtain of water that stands between us and the outside light. This is the Gruta Iris (Iris Cavern)
In the Gruta Iris there is life: birds or bats often fly overhead.
And within it rains: the water seeps through the rock ceiling until it condenses and falls as thousands of drops. We can delve to the bottom by a somewhat slippery way, especially in the final part, where we go through steps carved into the rock.
