The Monastery of San Juan de los Reyes was erected by order of the Catholic Kings Isabel and Fernando in 1477. The whole is considered an ex-voto of the Catholic Monarchs after the Victory in the Battle of Toro, which allowed the coronation of Isabel as queen of Castile.
The monastery was intended to serve as a home for the Franciscans and received the invocation of Saint John, since Queen Isabel was very devoted to Saint John the Evangelist. Juan was also the name of the son of the Catholic Monarchs whose birth was also commemorated with the erection of such a sumptuous monastery. Another of the reasons driving the construction of the monument is the idea that the space was going to serve as a mausoleum for the Catholic kings, although this never happened since the kings changed their mind and were buried. in Granada.
The works of the church are carried out by the architect Juan Guas who will carry out the also part of the cloister. The church is Richly decorated with royal coats of arms, saints, martyrs and epigraphs alluding to reasons for the construction. The lower cloister is profusely decorated with plant motifs, real, mythological and chimerical animals, combined with sculptures of characters from the Franciscan Order.
The Toledo architect Alonso de Covarrubias continues the work with the staircase and later the architects Nicolás de Vergara and Juan Bautista Monegro will finish the construction. The predominant style is Spanish-Flemish, typical of the reign of the Catholic Monarchs, which fuses the flamboyant Gothic from Flanders with Islamic reminiscences.
During the invasion of French troops in 1808, the monastery suffered damage. a large fire that destroyed a large part of the building's rooms. With the confiscations of the 19th century, the monastery will pass by. to the Monuments Commission to open it as a Provincial Museum. Around 1883, the restorer Arturo Mélida carried out reconstruction work on numerous sculptures and gargoyles.
Part of the exterior walls are decorated with chains and shackles that draw attention due to their belonging to the Christians liberated by the kings after the conquest of Granada, according to The Toledo tradition counts.
Open Monday to Sunday
March 1 to October 15: 10:00 hrs -14:00 hrs / 15:00 hrs -18:45 hrs
From October 16 to February 28: 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. / 3:00 p.m. - 5:45 p.m. p>
The ticket offices will close 20 minutes before opening hours. closing.
December 24 and 31 open until 1:00 p.m. hrs