Santa María de Óvila is a former Cistercian monastery built in Spain beginning in 1181 on the Tagus River near Trillo, Guadalajara, about 90 miles (140 km) northeast of Madrid. During prosperous times over the next four centuries, construction projects expanded and improved the small monastery. Its fortunes declined significantly in the 18th century, and in 1835 it was confiscated by the Spanish government and sold to private owners who used its buildings to shelter farm animals.
The ruins of Santa María de Óvila in Spain, shown more than 75 years after the most striking architectural features were removed by agents of William Randolph Hearst
Enameled monastery sign shows damage
William Randolph Hearst spent roughly $1 million to obtain the monastery's finest features.
Dismantled cloister of the abbey in the 1930s
Wyntoon is a private estate in rural Siskiyou County, California, owned by the Hearst Corporation. Architects Willis Polk, Bernard Maybeck and Julia Morgan all designed structures for Wyntoon, beginning in 1899.
Phoebe Hearst's Wyntoon with its main tower in 1906, designed by Bernard Maybeck. This building burned down in 1929.
Most of Willis Polk's 1899 structure "The Bend" was torn down in 1934 and rebuilt by Julia Morgan.
Bernard Maybeck's Wyntoon project seen in 1906. It burned down in 1929.
1906 living room interior
