Cartuja of Granada
The Cartuja of Granada ( Charterhouse of Granada ) is a monastery consecrated to Our Lady of the Assumption in Granada ( Andalusia ), which housed a Carthusian community until 1835. Despite the mixing of different styles, it represents one of the highlights of Spanish baroque architecture.
history
The Carthusian monastery of Paular in Castile was looking for a suitable place to build a new monastery. The prior of the Carthusian Monastery of Cuecas in Seville, Juan Padilla - he was also a visitator of the order - turned in 1506 to Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba for assistance in finding a suitable location. He suggested the site of the former Moorish summer residence - a so-called Carmen named Aynadamar (German: source of tears ) - for it.
In 1513, the land was handed over in Loja and construction began, which was initially supported by Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba. After his death in 1515, construction was interrupted for a few years and only continued in 1519. It was not until 1545 that the building was officially taken over by the Carthusians under the name Asuncion de Nuestra Senora (Assumption of Mary) by the Supreme Prior, Padre Rodrigo de Valdepenas. The church was completed in 1662.
Only the parts that are visible today have been preserved from the former monastery, as workshops, the large cloister, monk cells and the cemetery were destroyed by French troops in 1824. The secularization of 1537 stole more church treasures. The prior's house with its beautiful courtyard and garden was destroyed in 1943.
The monastery was inhabited until 1835, when the monks were expelled from it. Today the monastery no longer belongs to the Carthusian Order, but reports directly to the Archbishop of Granada .
Monastery complex and buildings
A simple Patereskentor - built by Juan Garcia de Pradas in 1520 - leads to the monastery area. The church facade stands above a double flight of stairs with an entrance portal framed by marble columns with the statue of the founder of the order, St. Bruno and above it a Spanish coat of arms from the Bourbon era. A side portal leads to the central cloister.
The building consists of the following parts:
- Church with sacristy and sanctuary
- Cloister - also called Clausdrillo - small cloister . This is square and framed by Doric columns . The planting of orange trees and fragrant plants and a central fountain make it strongly reminiscent of Moorish courtyards. The following rooms are arranged around the cloister in Gothic style :
- Refectory , the former dining room: the paintings on display are by Juan Sánchez Cotán . The painting on its front "Holy Communion" captivates with its realistic representation of the windows.
- Chapel “ De Profundis ”: in this room the brothers asked for forgiveness and penance. It is a simple room with a painted relief altar and a portrait of " Peter and Paul " by the lay brother Juan Sánchez Cotán
- Chapter House of the Lay Brothers with paintings by Vicente Carducho
- Chapter house of the monks: used for advice and sermons - also with paintings by Vicente Carducho; this room has remarkable acoustics
church
It was completed in 1662 in the Baroque style and consists of three sections: from the rear entrance to the lattice door was intended for the faithful, the area from this lattice door to the wooden door approximately in the middle of the church for the lay brothers . This wooden door was created around 1570, it is artistically particularly valuable due to the significant inlay work by the lay brother Jose Manuel Vazquez. The door is flanked by two baroque retables, which were created in 1612, the paintings represent “St. Family on the Flight into Egypt ”and the“ Baptism of Christ ”. The front part of the church was reserved exclusively for the monks, since seclusion was prescribed for them throughout their lives. Since only the so-called " Gregorian chant " was allowed, the choir and instruments are completely missing. The monks entered the church five times a day to pray and worship together.
The white walls are characteristic of Carthusian churches. The dome is in the purest Baroque style shows the four evangelists and lets light from " lanterns " fall on the altar. The area behind the altar shows the patron saint of the order, St. John the Baptist on one side and the founder of the order, St. Bruno. A figure of the Assumption of the Virgin by Jose de Mora stands under a gilded wooden canopy .
In the church there is a collection of images of the Virgin Mary by Pedro Atanasio Bocanegra from the 17th century including his masterpiece “Mary with the Rosary”.
Sanctuary
In 1720 by Hurtado Izquierdo in the late Baroque style with Rococo elements, the Camarín behind the main altar is where the relics are kept. The two side chapels, built in 1725, impress with an excess of marble. A marble canopy supported by four black pillars stands in the center of the room, four statues in the corners symbolize the cardinal virtues . In the corners of the room there are statues of St. Bruno as well as John the Baptist , Joseph of Nazareth and Maria Magdalena . The frescoes in the dome, painted by Antonio Palomino and José Risueño , depict the Last Supper - in addition, once again St. Bruno, who carries the globe with an enthroned monstrance , and the four evangelists with their symbols .
sacristy
The sacristy harmoniously represents the heavenly sphere, important artists were involved:
- Stucco work: sculptor Luis Cabello
- Marble base: stonemason Luis de Arevalo
- Dome fresco: Tomas Ferrer
In the middle of the altarpiece there is an alabaster figure of Immaculata and St. Bruno, a small wooden statue of the same saint is to the left and is particularly expressive and valuable. The wooden chests of drawers with valuable inlays, which Jose Manuel Vazquez created over a period of 34 years, should be emphasized - they are made of ebony , rosewood , mother-of-pearl , ivory , tortoise-shell and silver.
Web links
literature
- Rafael Hierro Calleja: Granada and the Alhambra. Ediciones Miguel Sanchez, Granada 2005, ISBN 84-7169-087-X , pp. 178-193, (tourist guide).
Coordinates: 37 ° 11 ′ 31 ″ N , 3 ° 35 ′ 59 ″ W.