Santa Cruz Museum

Toledo, Spain

The Museum of Santa Cruz was an important hospital which was converted into a museum in the 19th century.

The hospital was founded by Cardinal Mendoza at the end of the 15th century to centralize assistance to orphaned and abandoned children in the city. It has a remarkable Plateresque portal, work of Alonso de Covarrubias. The building has a Greek cross plant and four courtyards, two of which were completely completed. The first is of Covarrubias and gives access to the upper floor through a three-ladder staircase.

The museum has two floors. The cruiser covers the two floors and is covered with ribbed vaults. In the north arm was located the chapel. The museum has sections of Archeology, Fine Arts and Decorative Arts. The Fine Arts funds are distributed on the first and second floor of the building, and those of archeology, in the Noble Cloister and in an underground floor. The Decorative Arts have a sample of Toledan folk handicrafts, which is also located on the floor of the basement.

References:

Comments

Your name



Details

Founded: 15th century
Category: Museums in Spain

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Jake L (4 months ago)
A lot of the museum was closed when I visited, but it is worth the (free) admission price for the quiet, peaceful courtyard. Note that food and drinks must be placed in a locker by the entrance (1 EUR deposit).
Alex Cheyne (5 months ago)
When I visited much of this museum was closed off (I think in transition between exhibitions), however the three elements I was able to see left me happy to have been. These were a lovely cloister and stairway, a (I think) permanent collection of ceramics, and a temporary exhibition of beautiful paintings by a chap called Juan Berenguel. I also managed to visit on one of the free days. Lovely.
Seokjin Ham (6 months ago)
There are so many places to go in Toledo that you might miss it. However, if you go, you won't regret it. Best of all, there are relatively few people here. Tickets are free until December 31, 2024.
Mark Atkins (9 months ago)
Excellent museum in central Toledo. Fascinating collection of art and artifacts from Toledo's history. Well laid out and explained in Spanish and English. Lovely central courtyard in historic building. Free to enter as well!
Sophia S (9 months ago)
Free museum. It’s essentially all Catholic paintings and figures in the main hall. I preferred seeing the garden, which had four or five pillar remnants with Quranic verses, and the exhibits upstairs, which included a ceramics section. Please note that if you have a bag, you need to carry it in the front of your body. Alternatively, you can pay 1 euro to rent a locker.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Clementinum

The Clementinum is a historic complex of buildings in Prague. Until recently the complex hosted the National, University and Technical libraries, the City Library also being located nearby on Mariánské Náměstí. The Technical library and the Municipal library have moved to the Prague National Technical Library at Technická 6 since 2009. It is currently in use as the National Library of the Czech Republic.

Its history dates from the existence of a chapel dedicated to Saint Clement in the 11th century. A Dominican monastery was founded in the medieval period, which was transformed in 1556 to a Jesuit college. In 1622 the Jesuits transferred the library of Charles University to the Klementinum, and the college was merged with the University in 1654. The Jesuits remained until 1773, when the Klementinum was established as an observatory, library, and university by the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria.