Calatrava Assumption Convent

The construction of the monastery of the Calatravan nuns, after numerous negotiations, was ratified in 1524, although the magnitude of the project caused its paralyzation for years when the funds were exhausted, until in 1543, Gutierre de Padilla made delivery of an important amount with the condition that its construction was finished in one year. Inhabited by Calatrava nuns until 1815, date from which they were transferred, and the convent was occupied by friars until 1836, when the religious orders were suppressed with the disentailment process, and its assets passed to the State. In 1851 it was declared a Historic Monument, but the building underwent unfortunate interventions derived from its use as a Cavalry Barracks, and later restoration interventions carried out by the Dominicans from 1903 onwards, for its refurbishment as a college of the order. Modifications that seriously altered the initial traces, in the specific case of the church. The proportionate layout of the cloister, one of the most beautiful and least known of the Spanish Renaissance, has a quadrangular plan, and is formed by two galleries with sixty classical columns, made of sandstone with shafts of Macael marble. The choice of Ionic orders on the ground floor and Tuscan on the upper floor is related to the knowledge of Serlio's work "The general rules of architecture", based on that of Vitruvius. The proportionality of the architectural elements of this cloister is evidence of the correct theoretical preparation of the author of the project. Stylistically it is very similar to the hospital of Tavera in Toledo, which raises questions about its execution, authorship and chronology. Its author is thought to be Enrique Egas El Mozo, a disciple of Francisco de Luna, master builder of the monastery of Uclés in Cuenca and a resident of Villanueva de los Infantes at that time, as evidenced by the fact that in the second half of the century those of Tavera and Albacete were being built, with which it bears a close resemblance. As for the chronology, it is documented that in 1534 the cloister was in full execution. The peculiarity of this cloister also lies in its decorative programs and in the magnificent execution of its carvings, which would merit a detailed iconographic analysis. Around the different galleries there are seven doors and three windows in the lower part and two doorways in the upper part, where there is a profuse plateresque decoration, which El Mozo would have assimilated from Toledo circles, with motifs identical to those used by Covarrubias in some of his works (garlands, fruits, cameos, etc.). The main staircase stands out in the ensemble, which corresponds to the Spanish cloister model of the fifteenth century, with three flights and a flamboyant balustrade.