The Monastery of San Jeronimo is a place for sitting and losing yourself in a good book

Get the telephone and the address of The Monastery of San Jeronimo

One of the numerous unique places that I love in Granada is The Monastery of San Jeronimo. It is located on Gran Capitan Street, close to the Avenida de la Constitucion. You will find yourself looking at a Renaissance work of art which has a big patio, a church and two cloisters with all their rooms. It is not completely visible because the cloistered nuns live there.

The Catholic Kings ordered that it be built in 1492 after conquering Granada and the structure was quickly moved to the capital of the province of Granada. In the beginning The Monastery of San Jeronimo was where the present day Hospital of San Juan de Dios is located. During the French invasions it suffered a lot of damage and exfoliations, and in the beginning of 20th Century it was restored. Nowadays it has been declared as “Bien de Interés Cultural” (Important and Cultural National Heritage).

The entry is in Rector López Argueta Street, although in Gran Capitan Street you will find a gorgeous orange tree garden where you can enjoy some great views. The first thing that belongs to the Monastery itself is the entry with an archway, decorated with an icon of the Virgin of the Anguish (Virgen de las Angustias), the patron virgin of Granada. After passing through The Monastery of San Jeronimo, we entered a big patio.

I visited the cloister that is located on the left, where after crossing the threshold you will see a hall which is used as a ticket office and shop. The ticket cost 3,50 € (for seeing the downstairs part) because the upstairs is closed to the public.

We had the luck of visiting in the last hours and nobody was there, so it was a great moment for peace, reflection, relaxation and dedication to photography. The central patio is full of orange and lemon trees placed in a symmetrical way, making a beautiful picture. Also this patio has a large window where you will be able to see the Cathedral, joining in the infinity with the Monastery itself. Around the patio there were seven beautiful chapels with a funeral tones, because they were made for the funeral of Gonzalo Fernández of Cordoba, the Great Captain.

The first chapel that we visited was the Main Chapel. Inside The Monastery of San Jeronimo is amazing to observe the historical and cultural richness, with amazing works of art, like frescos in the walls and a considerable altarpiece. The Main Altarpiece perfectly transmits the Renaissance and Andalusian style of the period and it is here where you will see the statues of Don Gonzalo and his wife. Personally, the most impressive thing was the frescos located throughout the chapel which reflect different motifs of heroism and struggle.

The rest of the chapels can be visited with less time than the main one, although you must pay attention to the numerous details that they have to offer. On the right of the main door we found a chapel where you will clearly see a letter saying that it is forbidden to talk with the nuns that are praying as they have committed to a vow of silence. They really made an impression because, far from being accustomed to tourism, they looked at us as if they were mad about the situation, so we left them. In another chapel we went up to a pulpit in the middle of the room from where we took a fun picture. In the rest of the chapels, you will find two reserved for prayer with images of virgins, saints and statues, as well other rooms with great architecture and some works of art.

Without any doubt it is worth it to visit when less people are there. If it is winter it will be amazing to contemplate a sunset from here or to read a book with the peace and the harmony of the silence. Close to The Monastery of San Jeronimo you will find the Cathedral, the City Hall, the Gran Via and the Teterias Street. We ruskommend a visit to The Monastery of San Jeronimo with 4 boquerones.

Information about The Monastery of San Jeronimo

• Address: Calle Rector López Argueta, 9, 18001 Granada, Spain ‎ ‎
• Telephone: +34 958 27 93 37

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