After entering the complex, on your right hand side can be seen the hamlet. It is a pre-existing Moorish settlement, which most probably formed part of the hamlet of Cotalba, where the monastery was founded.
Notable features are the freestanding defensive tower from the 14th Century, prior to the construction of the monastery. This was remodelled in the 17th Century and has a quadrangular floor plan and a gabled roof, very similar to the ones that can be seen today in Alfauir.
Cotalba probably means: Cota (hill), Alba (white): white hill.