Monastery of San Juan de los Reyes

The convent church of San Juan de los Reyes was founded in 1476 by Ferdinand and Isabel who intended it as their last resting-place. The surrender of Granada in 1492 was so important that they changed their burial plans, and the Capilla Real in Granada became their mausoleum. In the meantime Juan Guas had almost completed his masterpiece, the church at Toledo.
Claustro has two galleries – the ground one is typical Gothic with the passages decorated in carved sculptures between the high windows, the upper one has brightly colored Mudejar ceiling, which makes a sharp contrast with almost white walls. The patio inside the Claustro is really charming with a huge orange tree growing in one of the corners.

There are four nave bays, but no side aisles, in common with other churches by Guas, and the crossing carries a lantern with windows. The piers are richly decorated with carved stone panels. The walls of the transepts each carry carved versions of the same coat of arms, Leon and Castile quartering Aragon, supported by eagles. An interesting detail – one of the exterior walls was decorated with fetters, which were taken from Christian prisoners freed from the Muslims in Andalucia.