Tavera Hospital

The Hospital Tavéra ( Spanish El Hospital de Tavera ), other names Hospital de San Juan Bautista, Hospital de Afuera, San Juan Bautista, Hospital de Afuera , a famous example of the architectural style of the Spanish Renaissance , located in the city of Toledo .

Sight
Tavera Hospital
Hospital de tavera
A country	Spain
Toledo
Denomination	Catholicism
Architectural style	spanish renaissance
Project author	Alonso de Covarrubias
Builder	Bartolome Bustamante
Founder	Cardinal Juan de Tavera
Founding date
Building	1541-1603
Site	fundacionmedinaceli.org/…

It was built in 1541–1603. by order of Cardinal Tavera (d. 1545), one of the greatest church leaders, President of the Council of Castile and Inquisitor. This hospital was dedicated to John the Baptist (Spanish: San Juan Bautista), also serving as a memorial to his patron of arts, Cardinal Tavera.

El Greco's portrait of Cardinal Tavera was painted by the artist in 1608-1614 with a death mask removed from the face of the cardinal by the sculptor Alonso Berruget . The picture is kept in the hospital.

Initially, it began to be built under the supervision of Alonso de Covarrubias , whose work was then continued by other architects, and graduated from Bartolome Bustamante . The ensemble of the building includes two pillared courtyards, a church and a palace-museum occupying the area of ​​the former hospital. The building was known as the “first completely classical building in Castile”.

The building served the Church until the Civil War of 1936-1939. Within the walls of the Hospital building, in the left wing is the Museum of the Duke of Lerma Foundation (Museo Duque de Lerma), demonstrating the private collections of the Dukes of Lerma and their heirs to Medinaceli . The museum was established by the Medinaceli Foundation. The museum includes a collection of paintings, archives of the hospital, a genuine pharmacy of the XVI century, and so on. That is, officially this is the collection of the Duke of Lerma (Museo Fondación Duque de Lerma), kept in the hospital. Tavera (Fundación Casa Ducal de Medinaceli, Hospital Tavera).

Among the paintings in the hospital are Ribera's “Bearded Woman”, as well as works commissioned for the hospital by local artist El Greco .

The tomb of Cardinal Tavera by A. Berruget can be seen in L. Bunuel ’s Tristan film, as well as on some posters for this tape. Immediately after visiting the tomb of Cardinal, the main character performed by Catherine Deneuve seduces her uncle.