Magistral Cathedral and San Bernardo Monastery

The Magistral, on Plaza de los Santos Niños, is visited with the crypt and the tower, from which you see the whole city. Ten minutes' walk away, on Plaza de las Bernardas, the San Bernardo monastery has an elliptical church from the early 17th century. Both are on the same joint ticket, and can be seen in a long morning.

The cathedral

Tradition places here the martyrdom of the boys Justo and Pastor, in the early 4th century, and their burial; hence the name of the square. The present Gothic church was begun in 1497 on the initiative of Cardinal Cisneros, with Antón and Enrique Egas and the help of Pedro Gumiel, a native of Alcalá. In 1519 it received the title of Magistral, which required all its canons to be doctors of Theology; according to the cathedral itself, only two churches in the world have it. It has been a cathedral since 1991, when the diocese of Alcalá was re-established.

In the crypt, the origin of the church, are kept a silver reliquary chest and the martyrdom stone. The cloister, in the Herrerian style, has an interpretation centre, gravestones of former canons and the Covarrubias door of the Archbishop's Palace rebuilt with original pieces. The museum, in the former antechamber and chapter house, displays goldsmith's work, Cisneros's chalice, the reconstruction of the Gothic tomb of Archbishop Carrillo de Acuña and a Flemish triptych of the Adoration of the Magi.

The Renaissance tower, by Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón, is 62 metres high and its staircase has reopened to the public: at the top, a 360-degree view over the rooftops, towers and storks of the historic centre.

San Bernardo

The monastery was founded by Cardinal Bernardo de Sandoval y Rojas, Archbishop of Toledo, and designed by Juan Gómez de Mora, the great architect of Philip III and Philip IV. The façade is austere; inside, the oval-plan church is covered by a great oval dome that the cathedral's website presents as the largest of its type in Spain. In the presbytery, the baldachin combines architecture, painting and sculpture, and the painter Angelo Nardi decorated the high chapel and side altarpieces between 1619 and 1621; the monastery holds the largest collection of his work in Spain.

Opening hours and tickets

• Cathedral: Monday 10:00 to 14:00; Tuesday to Friday 10:00 to 14:00 and 16:00 to 19:00; Saturdays 10:00 to 19:00; Sundays, closed to tourist visits.
• Tower: Monday 10:30 to 12:30; Tuesday to Friday 10:30 to 12:30 and 16:00 to 17:30; Saturdays 10:30 to 18:30.
• San Bernardo: Monday closed; Tuesday 11:30 to 14:00 and 17:00 to 19:00; Wednesday to Friday 10:30 to 14:00 and 17:00 to 19:00; Saturdays 10:30 to 14:00 and 16:00 to 19:00; Sundays 11:00 to 15:30.

The joint ticket costs €8; €7 for over-65s, €6 for ages 12 to 18 and €5 for groups of more than 15. Under-12s and people with a disability above 65% do not pay. It is bought online from the cathedral's website. There are no visits during Mass, and hours may change because of liturgical events. There is an audio guide for children. Information on 685 260 563.

How to fit it in

If you go on a Sunday, you will only be able to see San Bernardo; leave the cathedral for another day. From Plaza de los Santos Niños starts Calle Mayor, and on Plaza de las Bernardas, next to San Bernardo, is the Regional Archaeological Museum, free.