Convento de San José (Ávila)

Main facade of the Convento de San José, by Francisco de Mora.

The Convento de San José (English: Monastery of Saint Joseph) is a monastery of Discalced Carmelite nun in Ávila, Spain. It is situated not far from the center of the city but outside the medieval walls. Saint Teresa of Avila was the driving force behind the foundation of the monastery, which was built from 1562 onwards. The church (by Francisco de Mora) was only begun in 1607.

Conservation

The monastery has been protected under Spanish law since 1968 when it was designated a national monument. The "Old Town of Ávila with its Extra-Muros Churches" is a World Heritage Site, although the monastery is not one of the extra-muros churches mentioned in the nomination.^[1]

The monastery houses a museum dedicated to St Teresa.

The Monastery of Saint Joseph is a monastery of Discalced Carmelite nuns that is located in the Spanish city of Avila, in the autonomous community of Castile and Leon. It was the first monastery founded by Saint Teresa of Jesus, who had the support of such important figures as Bishop Alvaro de Mendoza. It is a national monument since 1968.

The monastery was built in the year of 1562, although the most important architectural element, the church, was built in 1607. The Church was designed by the architect Francisco de Mora (1553-1610), who devised a church of a single nave covered with a vaulted ceiling and a dome over the transept.

Its main facade, which is set on two levels matches with the top pediment and portal of three arches at the bottom, was one of the most imitated in the religious buildings of the seventeenth century and was adopted as a model of Discalced Carmelite construction. Inside the church is the Chapel of the Guillamas family, which serves as the family crypt.

The building is also home to the Museo Teresiano of the Discalced Carmelites.

References

1. ^ Old Town of Ávila with its Extra-Muros Churches