Charterhouse of Santa María de Miraflores

Carthusian monks still live at Miraflores, a monastery of prayer and silence of the order that Saint Bruno founded in 1084 near Grenoble. What you visit is the church and the exhibition rooms; the enclosure is closed. It has been a national monument since 1923 and holds the royal pantheon of the parents of Isabella the Catholic, one of the finest works of late Gothic in Castile. It is in the Fuentes Blancas area, on the outskirts, and the visit takes about 45 minutes.

What to see in the church

Everything revolves around Gil de Siloé. The tomb of John II and Isabella of Portugal, in alabaster and on an eight-pointed star plan, was made by him between 1489 and 1493. Behind it, the high altarpiece, carved between 1496 and 1499 and polychromed by Diego de la Cruz, cost more than a million maravedís. Beside it, the tomb of the Infante Alfonso, the queen's brother, also by Siloé, in alabaster brought from Cogolludo. Look also at the Virgen del Coro, another of his carvings, above the door to the enclosure; the Annunciation by Pedro Berruguete, from 1496 to 1500; the San Bruno by Manuel Pereira, from 1635, and an early Raising of the Cross by Sorolla. There is also a Flemish triptych of the Calvary from the late 15th century.

Opening hours and tickets

It is open on weekdays from 10:15 to 15:00 and from 16:00 to 18:00, and on Sundays from 11:00 to 15:00 and from 16:00 to 18:00. On Sundays and religious holidays there is Mass at 10:15, open to anyone who wishes to attend. General admission costs €5, reduced €4 and educational groups €3.50; on Wednesday from 16:00 to 18:00 it is free. Buy at the ticket office on arrival or in advance on its website. It is closed to visits on 25 December and 6 January (it opens only for Mass), and on the afternoons of 24 and 31 December. It has a shop with products from the charterhouse.

Getting there

The address is Carretera de Fuentes Blancas, km 3.5. By car, from the centre, follow the Bulevar eastwards to the roundabout at the Fuentes Blancas campsite and from there the signs; in front of the entrance there is a large free car park. By city bus it leaves from the Plaza de España: in winter line 20, with departures at 9:00, 12:00, 16:00 and 19:00 and returns at 9:30, 12:30, 16:30 and 19:30; from 29 June to 31 August, line 17, with more departures. Walking along the riverside path, allow an hour from the centre.

Combine it with the Las Huelgas monastery, at the other end of the city, or with a stroll in the Fuentes Blancas park.