The Convent of Santa Isabel and its artistic treasures in Valladolid

Founded by the Franciscan nuns in 1472, the Convent of Santa Isabel stands in the heart of Valladolid. The church was built by the architect Bartolomé de Solórzano beginning in 1506, and it was blessed in 1507 with works finishing in 1513. The building features a single nave covered with a crucería gótica de terceletes, while the entablamento shows renacientes forms. Its high choir, constructed following the monasterial typology, is a significant feature of the layout.

The chapel's main testero is covered with a retablo de escultura, based on the retablo mayor de la Colegiata de Villagarcía de Campos, which was inspired by the retablo of El Escorial. This work was contracted in 1613, and Juan Imberto was commissioned for the statues and reliefs. In 1621, Gregorio Fernández was commissioned to create a relief showing Santa Isabel offering alms to a poor person.

The cloister was built at the same time as the church, likely by Solórzano, and features a rectangular plan with columns on two floors. It houses the seats of two vallisoletanas cofradías: the Hermandad Penitencial de Nuestro Padre Jesús atado a la Columna and the Hermandad del Santo Cristo de los Artilleros. The church also holds the remains of the conquistador Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons