[2025 La Rabida Attraction] Travel Guide for La Rabida Monastery (Updated Jul)

Andalusia Tour ~ Huelva (Region) Located at the mouth of the Odile River, Huelva is an Andalusian city with an ancient mining tradition and a witness to an event as important as the discovery of America. More than 2,500 years ago, Huelva - Andalusia's westernmost capital - was the center of the Tartesan civilization and an important commercial enclave that maintained intensive trade with other ports in the eastern Mediterranean. Centuries later, it became a base for the Phoenicians, Carthaginians and Romans, although the latter began to exploit the vast mineral wealth of the area, an activity that continued for several centuries. With the Roman presence in the area, the city known as Onuba Estria, located in the Beturia region, became so important that it even minted its own coins. In the Visigothic period the neighboring town of Niebla (Elepla) was of great civil and military importance in the county and even became a bishopric. The arrival of the Arabs in Huelva around 713 marked a new era for the city, which would later become known as Welba. During this new period, the city briefly became the independent Taifa Kingdom under the Bekris dynasty. However, it was not until the second half of the 13th century that Huelva and its surroundings were conquered by the Christian King Alfonso Sabio (the Wise). In the middle of the 15th century, the entire region came under the Duchy of Medina-Sidonia, a position that lasted until the middle of the 19th century. But without a doubt, the historical event that left the most profound mark on the people of Huelva was the discovery of America, from these lands Christopher Columbus in 1492 began his first voyage to the New World. At the monastery of La Rabida, a few kilometers from Huelva, Friars Juan Pérez and Antonio de Marchena publicized Columbus's plans for the voyage, and Columbus stayed there until just before departure. To commemorate this period, in 1929 the Fe Descubridora monument, one of the symbols of the city, was erected in Punta del Sebo. This large sculpture, the work of the American sculptor Whitney, is a tribute to the figure of Columbus and the important role played by the province of Huelva in the discovery of America. #2024TravelReview #SpainTravel #Andalucia

The La Rábida Monastery has been a Franciscan community since the 13th century. In 1856 it was declared a Historic-Artistic Monument. It was built on the tower of La Rábita, a small Almohad building that gave it its name. In 1261 it became a monastery, as indicated by a papal bull of Benedict XIII that allowed Fray Juan Rodríguez and his companions to found a community. The Franciscans had a great influence in the region. The building is in Gothic-Mudéjar style and is dedicated to Our Lady of Milagros, with a 14th-century alabaster statue. In 1490, Columbus took refuge in the monastery after being informed that the Catholic monarchs had rejected his petition to launch an expedition to find the Indies. The abbot, Juan Pérez, confessor of Queen Isabel, convinced them to listen to the proposal. #2024TravelReview #SpainTravel #Andalucia

Andalusian Tours ~ Huelva (Region) This town with a great maritime tradition is the cradle of the discovery of America, since three caravels set out from its port in August 1492 and arrived two months later in the remote and unfamiliar lands of the New World. Everything in this town is a reminder of that adventure of 1492, thanks to the 1755 Lisbon earthquake that altered the coastline and more recently due to the construction of the docks of the Port of Huelva. Thus, on a small boulder opposite the Mudejar door of the Church of San Jorge, we find a 14th-century stele with the names of the seventy Palos sailors (among them the Pinzón brothers) who took part in the voyage of discovery. In the main street of the town, we find the house that belonged to the Pinzón family, now restored and still bearing its coat of arms. On the outskirts, we find "la Fontanilla", a Mudejar fountain declared a National Monument, where Columbus provided water for his sailing ships during his long journeys. On the banks of the Tinto River near Palos, we find the Monastery of La Rábida, where Christopher Columbus lived. Inside we can see frescoes by the painter Vázquez Díaz depicting scenes from the Discovery. The Gothic church of La Rábida is dedicated to Our Lady of Milagros and has a 14th-century statue of Jesus on the Cross, one of the oldest in Andalusia. #2024TravelReview #SpainTravel #Andalusia