The Cartuja Monastery, Granada (and seeing it for free!)
The Cartuja Monastery (also known as the Monastery of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción) is one of the finest masterpieces of Spanish Baroque architecture.
The Monastery is one of the lesser known gems of Granada, it doesn’t get many visitors. You can also – if you plan it right – see it for free.
I cover all that in this post.
History of the Cartuja Monastery
Work started on the Monastery in 1506 but it took approximately 300 years before it was finally completed. Because it took so long, the Monastery is a mix of different styles: late Gothic, Renaissance and Spanish Baroque. The interior is decorated by some of the best Spanish artists of the times, people like Diego de Siloé, José de Mora, the García brothers, Antonio Palomino and Hurtado Izquierdo.
The Monastery was built for the Carthusian monks. They were very devout, subject to a vow of silence and hardly ever leaving the monastery. Their days were spent praying, meditating, and studying.
In 1835 the Carthusian monks were expelled from the monastery, part of a larger movement in Spain and France to break up religious congragations. Many monks moved to Italy and Switzerland.
Highlights of the Cartuja Monastery
It looks quite plain from the outside. Entering through a doorway, there’s a large 17th century courtyard which is today the parking lot of the monastery.
Entering the monastery, you find yourself at the ticket office. Tickets cost 6.50 Euros (although if you plan ahead you can get free tickets. More on that later). Moving on from the ticket office, you enter a cloister. The cloister is the center of the monastery, all the other parts of the monastery connect through the cloister.
As you enter the cloister, there are instructions on downloading an audio guide.
The Church
Without a doubt, the highlight of the monastery is the church. You get there by turning left at the first passageway when you enter the cloister.
This is where you see the majestic works of the monastery. You enter an anteroom where there’s a gate, beautifully decorated with paintings, dividing the anteroom from the main part of the church.
Stepping through, you’ll enter a choir section with wooden benches. Along with walls are sculptures and paintings. They lead to the main altar where stands a sculpture of the Virgin of the Assumption (by Jose de Mora).
The Chapel
The Chapel, just behind the main altar, is other-worldly with marble sculptures and a celestial dome (painted by Antonio Palomino).
The Sacristy
Off to the left of the main alter is the Sacristy. Some call it the most beautiful Sacristy in the world.
Here you see exuberant baroque, every inch covered with stucco, inlays, paintings and mirrors. There’s a gorgeous dome and the floor – in black and white tiling – enhances the spaciousness of the room.
Other Rooms of the Cartuja Monastery
In contrast to the church and adjoining Chapel and Sacristy, the other rooms (again, all off the cloister) are simple and mostly barren except for the beautiful religious art on the wall. In one of the rooms you’ll also see a model of the Monastery and realize that what you’re seeing only makes up a part of the entirety of the building.
As you can see above, it’s a very impressive monastery.
Practical Information (and how to get free tickets)
Free Tickets: The Monastery has free tickets for Thursday afternoons (ours were from 3 pm – 5 pm) but they have to be reserved in advance. In our case we booked 2 weeks in advance.
How to get your free tickets: Go to the this link. You’ll see 6 of Granada’s tourism highlights including the Cathedral (Catedral), Royal Chapel (Capilla Real), Sacromonte Abbey (Abadía del Sacromonte), Monastery of St. Jerome (Monasterio de San Jerónimo), and Church of Saint Nicolas + Tower (Iglesia de San Nicolás y su Torre). NOTE: you can actually get free tickets for ALL of these sites, you just have to be prepared that you have to book them a few weeks to a month in advance. Using that link I was able to book 5 of the 6 highlights for free (The only one that seemed to have no available dates was the Church of Saint Nicolas).
If you want to buy tickets. Maybe you don’t have the flexibility to wait for those free tickets. To buy tickets, go to this site. There you can buy individual tickets for the Cartuja Monastery or combined tickets with other highlights such as the Cathedral (Catedral), Royal Chapel (Capilla Real), Sacromonte Abbey (Abadía del Sacromonte), Monastery of St. Jerome (Monasterio de San Jerónimo), and Church of Saint Nicolas + Tower (Iglesia de San Nicolás y su Torre). Buying your tickets this way you can choose your date and times for all the attractions and also save money (vs buying tickets individually).
How much time to spend at the Cartuja Monastery: Really, it all depends the detail you want. You can visit the highlights I’ve mentioned above and see it all in 30 minutes. On the other hand, you can follow the audio guide and easily spend an hour.
Photography: You ARE allowed photography of the Cartuja Monastery but with no flash. Ignore the fine print on the ticket that says you can’t.
How to get there: it’s a bit of a walk from the center (about 30 minutes). I would recommend taking the #8 bus on the Gran Via opposite the Cathedral side. Pay 1.40 Euro to the driver. It’ll take about 10 minutes to get to the Monastery.
Related: The Basilica of San Juan de Dios – Granada’s best kept secret
Related: A Visit to the Sacromonte Caves Museum (Granada)
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