Real Monasterio de Guadalupe
Key facts
- Type
- Monastery
- Religious order
- Hieronymite
- Era
- 14th Century
- Architectural style
- Gothic-Mudéjar
- Founded
- 1340
- Current status
- Active
- Location
- Guadalupe, Cáceres
- Province
- Cáceres
- Region
- Extremadura
A UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Spain's most important pilgrimage destinations. Columbus brought Native Americans here to be baptized. Its architecture blends Gothic, Mudéjar, Renaissance, and Baroque styles.
History
A shepherd discovered a hidden statue of the Virgin Mary here around 1300. Alfonso XI attributed his victory at the Battle of Salado (1340) to the Virgin and built a magnificent monastery. Columbus visited before and after his voyages, and the first Native Americans to be baptized were brought here. The Hieronymite monks made it one of the wealthiest monasteries in Europe.
Highlights
- UNESCO World Heritage Site
- Columbus baptized Native Americans here
- Mudéjar cloister — finest in Spain
- Zurbarán paintings in sacristy
- Extraordinary medieval pharmacy
More Monasteries in Extremadura
- Monasterio de Yuste — Hieronymite, 15th Century. The Hieronymite monastery where Emperor Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire retired and died in 1558. Set in the remote Vera valley, it embodies the end of the greatest dynasty of its age.
- Convento de San Antonio de Padua — Franciscan, 15th Century. A 15th-century Franciscan convent near Garrovillas de Alconétar with a beautifully austere cloister. It stands near the Roman bridge of Alconétar over the Tagus.
- Monasterio de Tentudía — Order of Santiago, 13th Century. Spain's highest monastery at 1,104m, founded after a legendary battle where the sun stood still to give the Christian army victory. Features exquisite 15th-century Mudéjar-Azulejo tiles.
Explore nearby: Extremadura guide · Cáceres province · Castles of Cáceres