Monastery of St. Jerome

The Monastery of St. Jerome (Spanish: Monasterio de San Jerónimo) is a Roman Catholic church and Hiernoymite monastery in Granada, Spain. Architecturally, it is in the Renaissance style. The church was the first in the world consecrated to the Immaculate Conception of Mary.

History

The monastery was originally founded by the Catholic Monarchs Isabella I of Castille and Ferdinand II of Aragon, during the last stage of the Reconquista. The construction of the current buildings in Granada properly began in 1504, and the monastery relocated at that time. The principal architect and sculptor was Diego de Siloé. The monastery church follows the usual plan for churches of this order, a Latin Croos with an elevated choir at the foot and the altar behind a wide staircase. The mannerist altarpiece of the main chapel is considered the point of departure of Andalusian sculpture as such; it is mainly the work of Pablo de Rojas. The monastery has two cloisters, each built around a garden. The older of the two has more genuinely Renaissance decoration: seven arcosolia in the style of chapels, richly adorned in classical style, configure a funerary space that was originally intended to receive the Great Captain’s remains into the monastery. The second cloister, now the enclosure of the monastery’s community of monks, was the residence of the Empress Isabella of Portugal on her wedding voyage after her marriage to Charles I of Spain (Holy Roman Emperor Charles V). As of 1513, the church was under construction under the leadership of Jacopo Torni 1513. Upon his death in 1526, the task devolved to Diego de Siloé. The main chapel was completed in 1522 and the bodies of the Great Captain and his wife were moved from the Casa Grande of the Convent of Saint Francis. From the beginning of 2004 until March 2005, the main altarpiece underwent restoration work under the aegis of the Ministry of Culture; during this time, the altarpiece was covered by a giant blow-up photo of itself.

Information

Timetable: Summer Monday-Sunday 10:00-13:00 , 16:00-19:30  Winter Monday-Sunday 10:00-13:30, 15:00-18:00 Price: 3,5€ Address: Calle Rector López Argüeta 9 , Granada Telephone: 958 279 337 Location: Bus c6 stop Gran Capitán

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