Spanish Civil War 1936–1939
San Pedro de Cardeña monastery (International Brigades camp)
Castrillo del Val / Burgos · Repression & memory site
The story
The ancient monastery near Burgos, traditionally linked to El Cid, was turned into a concentration camp in December 1936. From April 1938 it was the main camp for captured International Brigaders, held alongside Spanish prisoners, until it closed in November 1939. British, Irish, American and other volunteers taken at Jarama, Belchite, Calaceite and Gandesa passed through; some were exchanged, others transferred to prisons. Army psychiatrist Antonio Vallejo-Nágera carried out pseudo-scientific studies on inmates here aiming to identify a 'Marxist' psychological type. Memoirs by former prisoners describe hunger, beatings and forced saluting.
What you can see today
The restored monastery church and cloister, today home to a Cistercian (Trappist) community; there is no major memorial to the prisoners.
Plan your visit
10 km southeast of Burgos; visits are guided by a monk at set times — check monastery hours. Please be discreet: it is an active monastery.
- Open
- Guided visits (about 45 min) weekdays 10:15, 11:15, 12:15, 16:15, 17:15; Sun 12:15, 16:20, 17:15
- Booking
- No booking needed; groups over 10 email turismo@cardena.org; usually no tour for under 4 people
- Notice
- Closed first Wednesday of each month, New Year, Holy Thu/Fri, Easter Day, Christmas Eve pm, Christmas Day, last Sat of May
Checked September 2026 from official sources: cardena.org. Things change, so check before you travel.
Sources
Nearby sites
- Palacio de la Isla, Burgos (Franco HQ) · 9 km
- Valdenoceda prison memorial · 61 km
- Miranda de Ebro concentration camp (historic site) · 70 km
- Puerto del Escudo – Italian memorial · 85 km
- La Barranca cemetery memorial, Lardero (La Rioja) · 94 km
- Otxandio – Andikona bombing memorial · 113 km
All 158 sites in Spanish Civil War 1936–1939 →
The Spanish Civil War 1936–1939
A free field guide for your phone: the route, the maps and the stories built in, even with no signal. The battlefields, trenches, ruined villages, shelters, museums and memorials of the Spanish Civil War across the whole of Spain, told fairly from both sides.
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