The monastery of discoverers in Andalucía's relatively unknown Huelva province

Those in search of historic destinations to visit in Andalucía throughout the summer months are never short of places to choose from. While Malaga, Seville and Cordoba top the lists of most people with respect for artistic and cultural heritage, Huelva is one of destinations that has plenty to offer, but is relatively unknown.

Huelva and its environs have a special connection to Spain’s seafaring tradition, especially the small town of Palos de la Frontera. Famed for the cultivation of strawberries, this delightful town is located on fertile lands on the banks of the River Tinto and it is a popular destination for nature lovers because of its lakes and Las Madres natural park. However, the town, the name of which comes from the Latin, Palus, meaning lagoon, is probably most famous for its connection to Christopher Columbus and the discovery of the New World in the late 15th century. Columbus set sail from the port on his adventures, along with the Pinzón brothers (who were born in the town), on 3 August 1492 and returned on 15 March 1493.

The Catholic Monarchs had ordered the inhabitants of Palos de la Frontera to assist Columbus, but local sailors had no confidence embarking on this adventure with a Genovese explorer who was largely unknown to them. They refused to support the idea unless a respected local mariner accompanied Columbus on the voyage. The local Franciscan monks from the monastery of La Rábida intervened and introduced the navigator to the Pinzón brothers, who decided to support the undertaking. Martin Alonso Pinzón supplied the enterprise with two caravels, La Pinta and La Niña, and he also contributed financially to the expedition. Juan de la Cosa, a Castilian navigator famed for designing the first map of the world, supplied the third ship, the Santa María.

The Friary of La Rábida, where Columbus stayed two years before his first voyage, is situated on a rocky bluff known as Saturn’s rock and since Phoenician times this area has been a place of worship. Today it attracts those wishing to experience what is known as Lugares Colombinos, a tourist route that includes several places that have special relevance to the preparation and realisation of Columbus’s first voyage.

These include the old town of Palos and the monastery, and Moguer, which Columbus visited several times in order to secure the support of several prestigious sailors.

This area would experience great economic decline following the discovery of the New World, and the recuperation of its historical importance is largely due to American writer Washington Irving, who passed through in 1828 while researching his book, A History of the Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus.

The Franciscan friary was founded in 1261 and constructed over a former Almohad ribat (watchtower) that gave its name to the present monastery.

Along with the church, the current monastery was built during the late 14th and early 15th centuries. Over the years it has undergone several modifications, especially in 1755, when it was badly damaged during the Lisbon earthquake.

The elegant reception room, often referred to as the Columbus conference room, is where the friars met with the navigator to discuss and plan the first voyage to the New World.

Both the church and the monastery have elements of Gothic and neo-Moorish architecture; while lovers of Spanish artist Daniel Vázquez Díaz will enjoy the collection of his Columbus-theme frescos displayed on the walls of the cloisters.

These delightful cloisters lead to a small museum displaying numerous relics of Colombus’s voyages, including scale models of the three caravels of the first voyage, and a capsule containing soil from the New World.

In the 17th century, a second storey was added to the cloister, complete with battlements for defence against pirate invasions. The monastery was declared a Spanish National Monument in 1856, and 160 years later, it joined Unesco’s Tentative List of World Heritage, along with the Lugares Colombinos route.

The church, the date of which is uncertain, is of artistic interest for its Gothic-Mudéjar architecture. It also boasts a magnificent Moorish-influence ceiling and representations of the life of St Francis of Assisi. According to tradition, Columbus and some of his crew prayed before the 14th-century alabaster Virgin of Miracles, the patron of La Rábida, before setting sail.

Close to the church is the public fountain from which, according to legend, Columbus’s boats drew the fresh water needed for the voyage. The base of the fountain dates back to the Roman era, although the Mudéjar stone gazebo was constructed in the 13th century.

The Column of the Discoverers, a monument made of white stone and incised with scenes depicting the colonisation of the Americas was erected in the peaceful gardens to mark the 400th anniversary of the first voyage.

A tiled plaque erected at the entrance to La Rábida bears witness to the discovery of the Americas, claiming the monastery was “where the vision of a New World was conceived”.