The Monastery of San Salvador de Oña was founded in 1011 by the Castilian count Sancho García as a dual-purpose family monastery under the direction of his daughter Tigridia, and from its inception it became an important count’s pantheon (Senra, 2009). In 1033, Sancho the Great of Navarre dissolved the mixed community and introduced the Cluniac-influenced Benedictine reform, transforming the institution (Faci, 1977). Under Abbot Íñigo (1035–1068), the monastery attained great spiritual prestige. Later, throughout the 11th and 12th centuries, it received support from successive monarchs, with Alfonso VII making the most generous donations.
Its territorial reach became extraordinary, eventually controlling nearly three hundred churches in the Burgos region. Construction of the Romanesque church likely began between 1076 and 1080; it featured three naves and a chevet with three apses, but it was demolished in 1332 to make way for a new Gothic chevet. During the 15th century, a major renovation was undertaken, and the old naves were replaced (Sánchez, 2011; Jiménez, 2012). Following the confiscation of 1835, the complex was abandoned, later passing into Jesuit hands in 1880 and being declared a Historic-Artistic Monument in 1931 (Senra, 2009).
Bibliography
FACI, Francisco Javier (1977): "Sancho el Mayor de Navarra y el monasterio de San Salvador de Oña", vol. 37, nº 136, Hispania: Revista española de historia, pp. 299-318.
JIMÉNEZ, Gonzalo (2012): Monacatus: Monasterio de San Salvador, Oña (Burgos), Fundación Las Edades del Hombre, Valladolid.
SÁNCHEZ, Rafael (2011): San Salvador de Oña: mil años de historia, Fundación Milenario San Salvador de Oña: Ayuntamiento de Oña, Oña.