Royal Monastery of Santo Tomás, Ávila, Spain

The Dominican Monastery of Santo Tomás was built under the patronage of Hernando Núñez de Arnalte (treasurer of the Catholic Monarchs), his wife, María Dávila, the Inquisitor Fray Tomás de Torquemada and the Catholic Monarchs.

The work began in 1482 and was completed in 1493; however, at the Catholic Monarchs' initiative, a palace was built around the eastern cloister, together with the sepulchre of Prince Juan in the church after he had died in 1497.

As a see for the Inquisition, the University of Santo Tomás was opened in the 16th century and remained in operation until the 19th century. The monastery has been attacked many times throughout its history: sacked during the French invasion, abandoned after the sale of church lands ordered by Mendizábal and destroyed by fires in 1699 and 1936.

The church front is based on a segmental arch and two buttresses that run through the arch vertically. The subtlety is broken by the existence of a huge rose window and the no less imposing coat of arms of the Catholic Monarchs. The decoration is completed with 10 sculptures by Gil de Siloé.

The interior stands out thanks to the elegance of the main nave and the ramifications of the ribs that make up the vault above the transept, marking off the area dedicated to the sepulchre of Prince Juan. The complex has three cloisters.

References:

Ávila Tourism

User Reviews

Cheese Cake (15 months ago)
A very tranquil and beautiful place, with three cloisters. Houses a wee museum of Oriental Arts.

Daniel Fg (2 years ago)
Although it is a bit far from Ávila’s walled city, this royal monastery is absolutely worth the walk if you are interested in history and architecture. The complex is organized around several magnificent cloisters and includes a church, a former royal palace, a former university and even an oriental art museum showcasing artefacts collected by the Dominican missionaries.

Carmen Gomez (2 years ago)
Very interesting place where you can walk and imagine how the monks lived years ago. We went to Mass in the church and thanked God for the beautiful opportunity to visit here. I learned more about the history and the death of the only son of Queen Isabella of Spain who is buried there.

Derek Thomas Garnett (2 years ago)
Well worth the visit,about 20 min walk from the old town

Danny Kim (2 years ago)
Oriental museum was special and good to visit.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Infomastern

Historic Site of the week

Visby Cathedral

Visby Cathedral (also known as St. Mary’s Church) is the only survived medieval church in Visby. It was originally built for German merchants and inaugurated in 1225. Around the year 1350 the church was enlarged and converted into a basilica. The two-storey magazine was also added then above the nave as a warehouse for merchants.

Following the Reformation, the church was transformed into a parish church for the town of Visby. All other churches were abandoned. Shortly after the Reformation, in 1572, Gotland was made into its own Diocese, and the church designated its cathedral.

There is not much left of the original interior. The font is made of local red marble in the 13th century. The pulpit was made in Lübeck in 1684. There are 400 graves under the church floor.

Royal Monastery of Santo Tomás

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Finest Norman castles in Italy

Exploring the History of Northern Poland

Discovering Slovenia's Historic Wonders

Historic Site of the week

Visby Cathedral