The former home of poet Fray Luis de León

The Convento Agustino de Extramuros is a building of Escorial-style architecture located in Madrigal de las Altas Torres in the province of Ávila. Constructed in several phases between the 14th and 16th centuries, it has suffered from abandonment and decay. While it now serves as a private grain silo, it remains a significant site of history, once serving as the Casa Capitular of the province of Castilla.

The site began as a small beaterio founded in 1335, later becoming a monastery for nuns before being ceded to friars in 1528. Between 1578 and 1589, Gaspar de Quiroga began constructing a large new convent in the Herrerian style. It was a center of learning with chairs for various disciplines, and it was here that the famous poet Fray Luis de León died in the summer of 1591. His cell remains identifiable as a department to the left of the church presbytery.

Today, the structure is a ruin where only the walls stand alone as the original horizontal structure is largely lost. The entrance features a brick facade on a granite base, containing a portal with three stone arches and a cardinal's shield. The magnificent cloister, known for its dimensions as 'El Escorial de Castilla,' is made of granite masonry. The church features a central nave of 10 meters and eight chapels. Officially a Bien de Interés Cultural, the monument is currently on the Red List of Heritage at risk due to its state of ruin.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons