Royal Monastery of Santo Tomás

The Royal Monastery of Santo Tomás is outside the wall, to the south-east of the old town, and is one of the most complete visits in Ávila: three cloisters, a Gothic church with the tomb of the Catholic Monarchs' son and two museums in the former royal palace. It is worth leaving the walled enclosure to see it.

History

It was built between 1482 and 1493 with the patronage of Hernando Núñez de Arnalte, treasurer to the Catholic Monarchs, his wife, María Dávila, the inquisitor Friar Tomás de Torquemada and the monarchs themselves. Later, on the monarchs' initiative, a palace was built around the eastern cloister and the tomb of Prince Juan, who died in 1497, was placed in the church. It was a seat of the Inquisition and, from the 16th to the 19th century, the University of Santo Tomás. It suffered greatly: fires in 1699 and 1936, plunder during the French invasion and neglect after Mendizábal's confiscation of church property. It was declared a National Monument in 1931 and is still a Dominican convent.

What you see

The church facade is organised around a segmental arch between two buttresses, a large rose window, the coat of arms of the Catholic Monarchs and ten sculptures by Gil de Siloé. Inside, the height of the nave is impressive, as is the crossing vault, whose ribs branch out over the tomb of Prince Juan.

The three cloisters are very different. The Novitiate Cloister, Tuscan, with 20 arches, is sober, without decoration. The Cloister of Silence, or of the Dead, where the friars were buried, has 18 arches below and 38 polylobed arches above. The Cloister of the Kings, the largest, distributed the rooms of the palace: 40 arches below and 56 above, with the beading typical of Ávila. The visit also includes the choir and the two museums in the palace, one of Oriental art and one of natural science, which children tend to enjoy.

Hours and tickets

From 1 September to 30 June it is open every day from 10:30 to 14:00 and from 15:30 to 19:30, with the last entry an hour before closing. Admission costs €6; €5 up to age 25, for over-65s and large families; €4 for people from Ávila, members of religious orders and people with a disability of between 33 and 65%. It is free for under-12s. Groups should enquire at the monastery. Phone: 920 352 237. It is included in the Ávila Card, the 48-hour card that gives one entry to each participating monument, for €15 individual and €29 family, on sale at the Visitor Reception Centre.

How to combine it

Allow an hour and a quarter. It fits well in the early afternoon, after walking the city wall and the cathedral in the morning. From here, the train station is on the same east side of the city, so it can be the last visit before returning to Madrid. If you are staying, at dusk cross to the other side of the city to the Cuatro Postes to see the wall lit up.