San Esteban Church and Convent
The San Esteban Monastery is a monastery with an adjoining church in the old town of Salamanca ( Spain ). It is particularly known for the golden retable of the main altar, 30 meters high and 14 meters wide, and the richly decorated facade .
history
The church was built from 1524, the cloister of the kings was completed in 1544. The ten-arched, Tuscan-influenced colonnade of the monastery was completed in 1599. Although construction began with the facade of the church, it was not completed until 1610.
In 1627 a new chapter house was built, which was used as such until 1835. The old chapter house from the 15th century was used as such until 1634 when it was converted into the pantheon of theologians.
Eight years later (1635) the sacristy was completed. The reredos of the church was completed by Claudio Coello in 1693 one year after the depiction of the martyrdom of St. Stephen .
architecture
church
The architect Juan de la Alva designed the plans for the Church of San Esteban. The church is built in the shape of a Latin cross and has only one nave . It is 84 meters long and 15.5 meters wide. The height in the nave is 27 meters, in the dome up to 44 meters. The three-part, golden reredos in the baroque style of the main altar is by José de Churriguera . Many columns and innumerable leaf and grape ornaments decorate the reredos. The entire complex is decorated with a 14 meter wide and 30 meter high depiction of St. Stephen by Claudio Coello made in 1692 . The choir is on a construction at the other end of the nave. This choir level is about 10 meters above the ground, supported by a flat arch with a stone balustrade, right next to the organ. The choir sat in chairs, a work by Alfonso Barbas, and could read from large books, of which up to three could be placed in the middle of the benches. In this part of the church there is also a fresco depicting the triumph of the church thanks to the Dominicans .
monastery
The monastery has a ten-arch portico directly behind the entrance. The library is located above it . The adjacent cloister was designed by the architect Martin de Santiago . The inner part is gothic , the outer plateresque built and decorated.
Pantheon of theologians
The chapter house adjoining the cloister has been the resting place of famous theologians of the University of Salamanca since 1634 as the pantheon of theologians . Buried here are among others: Francisco de Vitoria , Domingo de Soto , Bartolomé de Medina and Mancio de Corpus Christi .
Escalera de Soto
The staircase of Domingo de Soto was built between 1553 and 1556, when the namesake was the prior of the monastery. His motto from the Council of Trento Fides viva adorns a bas-relief on the wall of the stairs. The architect was Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón or Martin de Santiago . A multi-colored relief of Maria Magdalena is at the top of the stairs.
tourism
The monastery and church can be visited for a fee.
literature
- JL Espinel: San Esteban de Salamanca. Historia y guía (siglos XIII-XX) . Editorial San Esteban, Salamanca 1995.
- L. Sastre Varas: Convento de San Esteban. Arte e historia de los Dominicos . Edilesa, León 2001.
Web links
- San Esteban Church and Convent. In: Structurae
- another website with photos of the church
- Salamanca: places of interest
- Salamanca - the city of wisdom
Coordinates: 40 ° 57 ′ 39 " N , 5 ° 39 ′ 45.2" W.