HISTORY BUILDINGS

The occupation of the monastery is attributed to the Cistercian monks in 1151, a date which coincides with the arrival of the Cistercian monks of Morimond heritage, in Valbuena from Berdones.

The San Pedro chapel was reformed during the 17^th and 18^th century around the Compás courtyard, the cloisters and monks bedrooms…

The monastery was purchased by The National Institute of Colonization in 1950, with the aim to build a new town next to it, as well as the restoration of the monastery, which served as diverse usage to the new colonies. The settlers houses were built in 1954, in this moment the monastic church became the new village parish and accountable to the Valladolid archbishopric.

At the end of the 20^th century with the purpose that the monastery host the headquarters of the Foundation "Las Edades del Hombre" the monastery experienced no rehabilitation work. Today the monastery hosts the new five-star hotel chain Castilla thermal spa.

Hotel Castilla Termal Burgo de Osma was built on the Renaissance University of Santa Catalina, founded in the 16th century by Bishop Pedro Álvarez de Acosta.

The layout of the hotel has been adapted to the splendid square floor building, respecting its original outline, structured around the beautiful renaissance courtyard, becoming seating areas, a café and restaurants. All of which is crowned by a large glass dome, making this central space the undisputed protagonist of the stay in our hotel.  

It still preserves its two arches, on the ground floor, semi-circle arches appear above the slender Tuscan columns and elliptic arches on the first floor. As well as the beautiful stone staircase that leads to cosy rooms.

The spa is located below this great columned courtyard and receives a pleasant daylight through the skylight, which decorates the centre of the cloisters, bathing the modern minero-medicinal water pool “Thermal Cloisters” in light. The areas of contrast are inspired by the Mozarabic San Baudelio chapel in Berlanga.

The magnificent plateresque doorway to the building is emphasized by the image of Santa Catalina above the threshold, in honour of who erected this University.  Welcoming the faculties of Theology, Philosophy, Law and Medicine, only terminating their university services in 1840-41 due to the Carlistas war.     

In the subsoil, healing water was sought, in which appeared our excellent low metal concentrate, calcium bicarbonate, and hypothermal and mediate mineralised water. Converting the prestigious University of Santa Catalina into the first thermal spa hotel in the Soria province. 

For many years the spas and their thermal springs have been a means to understand life, and which harbour the hope for a cure in the form of water. The classical splendour of the hotel and spa complex saw its peak during the late 19thand early 20th centuries. The first record of the existence of the Solares spa dates back to 1753. The name appears in the Catastro de Ensenada records, in addition to other references in the archives of Marquess de Valbuena.

There are numerous written references from the era about its use, and literature shows a large number of French priests from the Rocheta Bishopric, who fled to Asturias as a consequence of the revolution in 1789. They used the spa on a regular basis and visited for many years always in spring and autumn.

The first bathhouse was built on the natural spring in 1827, and was opened for public use one year later. The whole life of this small spa town revolved around its bathhouse and two more baths were added in 1832 due to its growing success. 

At the end of the 19th and start of the 20thcenturies, Solares became in its own right the first spa resort in Cantabria, attracting many visitors in search of the quality and characteristics of its water and establishments.

In this period, a series of large buildings were erected, similar to the prestigious European thermal spa resorts. Designed not only to heal by means of water, but to also provide guests with days of leisure and relaxation. In 1899 a new building designed as a spa was opened, featuring a swimming pool and public chapel, and layout of a new park with beautiful gardens and extensive pathways was drafted.

Construction of the hotel began in 1902, designed by Lavín Casalís, who at the time was the head architect at the Santander City Council and responsible for the major Works in the capital city, such as the Oeste Public School, the Volunteer Fire Brigade Park, pavilions for the Provincial Art and Industry Exposition and other countless buildings in the city centre and El Sardinero district, as well as several hotels. Hotel Solares Spa closed its doors to the public in 1976. 

Hotel Solares Spa returned to spa and hotel activity in 2006 after major renovation work. The hotel is an elegant white building located inside a centenarian park. Its large and luminous gallery, and spacious lounges evoke the Golden age of the most sophisticated early 20th century European spa-hotels, with the latest modern facilities. The hotel is spread over two wings (the first is the historic building from 1902 and the second a new construction) each with four floors. 

In August 2012 the "Castilla Termal" group took over the management of this imposing hotel complex, thereby adding 3 hotels to their chain. The desire, effort, daily work and know-how attitude, has become an integral part of the day-to-day business of this emblematic spa-hotel and is what characterises Castilla Thermal hotels.

The princess, Ms. Sancha of Castilla, founded Sancti Spiritus in the first half of the 12th century. Various historical texts consider 1128 as the year of its foundation, thus being the first female enclosed monastery of the order of San Bernardo in Spain.

Its walls housed Santa Teresa de Jesús and Ms Juana "La Loca"(the mad), which is why some of the rooms are built on the cells where they slept.

The convents church is one of the best-preserved original areas, where it is possible to appreciate the 12th century primeval nave, with its simple vault, frieze, which alludes to the Holy Spirit and a set of baroque plasterwork from the 17th century. The entrance door, although newly built, respects its original position and its hand-made, flat brick archivolts following the Mudéjar style of the era.  

The cloisters has become an area of modern swimming pools with minero-medicinal thermal water, “Thermal cloister”, and its ancient granite columns support the current “arcaded courtyard”, of the cafeteria. From the cloisters you can gain access to the circuit of contrast "Mudéjar courtyard", established above the convent kitchen, whose chimney, was formerly used by the nuns, continues to burn in the rest room.   

Believing in the legend of oral transmission generations have told that the Sancti Spíritus water has heavenly powers. The nuns looked in the subsoil for healing water, where appeared our excellent micro-medicinal salina water, turning the humble sun-dried brick mudéjar convent, into the first 4-star spa in Castilla and León.

Hotel Spa Villa of Olmedo is composed of three buildings, which combine the uniqueness of the old convent, with two modern buildings completely integrated.