The Monastery of Santa Cruz la Real, founded by St Dominic de Guzman in 1219, holds a rich history. One of the first Dominican convents in Spain, it provided sanctuary to the Catholic Monarchs, Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon. Their alliance with the Church brought numerous miracles attributed to St Dominic and significant wealth and donations. Juan Guas, an architect working for the Crown of Castile, modified the Romanesque structure into Gothic-Isabelline. Remnants of the original building still form the base of the newer architecture. Today, the monastery serves as the campus for IE University. However, a secret remains hidden – a crypt of St Dominic that stores a holy relic.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nik Frost
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