San Esteban , St. Stephen's Monastery ( Spanish: Convento de San Esteban ) - Dominican monastery in the historic center of Salamanca , Spain . Founded in 1256, a complex of modern buildings was built in the period 1523-1610. A monument of architecture included in the list of historical heritage of Spain.
| Monastery | |
| Monastery of St. Stephen | |
|---|---|
| Convento de san esteban | |
 The main facade of the monastery church | |
| A country |  Spain |
| City | Salamanca |
| Denomination | Catholicism |
| Order affiliation | Dominicans |
| Architectural style | late gothic, renaissance, plateresque |
| Established | 1256 year |
| Building | 1524 - 1610 years |
| condition | Active monastery |
| Site | conventosanesteban.es |
The monastery is located next to the female Dominican monastery of Las Duenas . Two Dominican monasteries are connected by a pedestrian bridge laid over Arroyo de Santo Domingo (Creek of St. Dominic).
Content
History
Dominicans appeared in Salamanca in 1256 . Before the construction of the existing monastery buildings in 1524-1610, the buildings of the original Dominican monastery, as well as the buildings of the theology faculty of the University of Salamanca, were located on this site [1] .
Christopher Columbus stayed at the monastery during his stay in Salamanca, seeking support (ultimately successful) from professors at the University of Salamanca in his project to find a new way to India [2] .
During the Counter-Reformation, the monastery was its most important center. A late scholastic philosophical school was formed here, which received the name of the Salamanca school . Its founder Francisco de Vitoria , a Dominican monk, was a monk of the monastery of St. Stephen [2] .
Modernity
Currently, San Esteban is a functioning Dominican monastery. The monastic brotherhood has 30 people of eight nationalities [3] . Tourists visiting the monastery is paid, it is allowed both as part of groups and individually, at certain hours [4] .
Architecture
A large number of architects participated in the creation of the design of the monastery buildings, but Juan de Alava carried out general management. The architecture of the monastery mixed a large number of styles with a predominance of late Gothic and Renaissance. Like most buildings in the historic center of Salamanca, the Monastery of San Esteban is built of local golden sandstone .
The facade of the monastery church is a masterpiece of Plateresco [1] . The facade is divided into three parts, in the middle there is a relief "the martyrdom of St. Stephen" (beginning of the XVII century), in the upper - the scene of the Crucifixion. The entire surface of the facade is filled with carved ornaments, sculptures of saints. Above the entrance is the coat of arms of Cardinal Juan Toledo, who worked in this monastery and was one of the initiators of the construction of the church. In the interior of the church stands the work of A. Palomino "Triumph of the Church."
The building of the monastery library was attached to the church (1599). Behind it is a courtyard surrounded by an arcade. The columns of the cloister are decorated with fancy plot carvings.
The monastery museum exhibits a collection of medieval church paintings and sculptures. The monastery has the Pantheon of Theologians, where many famous theologians who taught and worked in Salamanca are buried [1] .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 Spain. Around the World, 2006. ISBN 5-98652-056-4 . Page 175
- ↑ 1 2 History on the official website of the monastery
- ↑ Community on the official website of the monastery
- ↑ Schedule of tourist visits on the official website of the monastery