Monasterio de la Encarnación

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Monasterio de la Encarnación
Paseo la Encarnación
Ávila, September 2025

“The Monastery of the Incarnation was founded in 1478 within the walled city. It was at the beginning of the 16th century when the Carmelite convent was moved to the outskirts of the city, building the monastery on land acquired from the Chapter and which had previously been the Jewish cemetery. On April 4, 1515, the day the saint was baptized, the monastery was inaugurated, although still unfinished. It consists of four naves enclosing a central courtyard, with a two-story cloister. At the end of the 16th century, the cell occupied by Teresa of Jesus was used as an oratory, and a chapel was planned for construction, which was not inaugurated until 1717. The current configuration of the Chapel of the Transverberation is based on four transverse arches and a half-orange dome. In the 18th century, the interior of the original church was transformed in a Baroque style. The floor plan is in the shape of a Latin cross, with a single nave covered by a barrel vault and a dome with pendentives and a lantern. The altars and reredos are also Baroque. The large bell gable, built in 1715, stands out on the southern façade of the monastery. This monastery is one of the key places in the life of Teresa of Ávila, where she remained almost uninterruptedly from 1535 to 1574. When Teresa de Cepeda, without her father's permission, entered the Carmelite Order, the monastery was one of the most populated in the city. It had a very large number of properties, and as in many others, convent life was not rigorous, with very marked social differences among the nuns. At La Encarnación, she received advice from Francisco de Borja, Juan de la Cruz, and Pedro de Alcántara, and it was from here that she prepared the Carmelite Reform.” (Monasterio de La Encarnación, ÁvilaTurismo)