Los Cuatro Postes

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Los Cuatro Postes
Calle Cuatro Postes
Ávila, September 2025

“On the left bank of the Adaja River, overlooking the city from the west, stands the San Sebastián shrine (a small chapel on the outskirts of town), popularly known as Los Cuatro Postes (The Four Posts). The complex consists of four monolithic Doric columns joined by an architrave bearing the city's coat of arms, with a granite cross in the center. It was built in 1566, and some authors maintain that it was erected where a small temple would have stood in Roman times. Others claim it was built to commemorate the place where Francisco de Cepeda, Teresa de Jesús's uncle, found the saint and her brother Rodrigo when they fled to suffer martyrdom in Moorish lands. The place offers a unique vantage point over the walled city, especially at dusk, when day gives way to night and the wall is artificially illuminated.” (Los Cuatro Postes, ÁvilaTurismo)

Ermita de San Esteban

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Ermita de San Esteban
Travesía San Esteban
Ávila, September 2025

“Built in the mid-12th century, it is the only Romanesque church preserved within the city walls. Built in ‘caleña’ stone, it retains its original structure, including the powerful apse, the northern closure, and materials reused in the 16th century for its reconstruction. The doorway is organized around an archivolt decorated with four-petalled rosettes, a reinterpretation of the original, dismantled doorway. The apse is broken only by two small columns and the eaves corbels, with decoration influenced by Cantabrian Romanesque. Inside, and despite its small size, it has three naves, the lateral ones being very narrow strips, perhaps a later adaptation of a space conceived as a single one. One of its greatest assets is the capitals on which the vault of the chancel rests: their decoration of plant, animal and anthropomorphic motifs is in keeping with the purest Romanesque style. The pulpit staircase stands out inside, made from a single piece of granite and decorated with waves that demonstrate its Visigothic affiliation. Declared a National Monument in 1923.” (San Esteban, ÁvilaTurismo)

Iglesia-convento de Santa Teresa

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Iglesia-convento de Santa Teresa
Statue of Santa Teresa by Óscar Alvariño, 2016
Plaza de la Santa
Ávila, September 2025

“The Iglesia-convento de Santa Teresa is a church and convent located in Ávila, Spain. It was built by the Order of Discalced Carmelites, as outlined by friar Alonso de San José, in the Carmelite style in the first third of the 17th century, supposedly on the site where Saint Teresa of Ávila was born. The central rectangle is divided in four bodies with a triangular pediment with a circle in the middle. The lowest part contains a statue of Saint Teresa. The part below the pediment shows a large coat-of-arms. The entrance consists of three rounded arches, the middle one flanked by pilasters. The interior of the church was built in the style of the Valladolid classicism. It consists of a nave and two lateral aisles, with a transept and a cupola above the crossing. The Chapel of Birth, alongside the presbytery, coincides with place where Teresa was born.” (Iglesia-convento de Santa Teresa, Wikipedia)

Iglesia de San Pedro

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Iglesia de San Pedro
Plaza de Santa Teresa
Ávila, September 2025

“The Church of San Pedro is a Romanesque temple located in the Spanish city of Ávila. The church is located opposite the gate of the Alcázar in the walls of Ávila, next to the Benedictine monastery of Nuestra Señora de la Antigua. The first reference to it is found in a document from 1103, appearing in the ‘Chronicle of the Population of Ávila’ (1173). The building has a Latin cross plan, with three naves ending in three apses, the central nave being higher than the side ones. The three entrance doors are Romanesque; the one on the western side or at the foot features a large rose window above the façade. The complex is surrounded by a landscaped and paved area. It overlooks the Plaza de Santa Teresa, also known as the ‘Plaza del Mercado Grande’. Inside, it features, among other works of art, carvings of Saint Catherine and Saint Paul.” (Iglesia de San Pedro, Wikipedia)

Convento de San José

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Convento de San José
Calle de las Madres
Ávila, September 2025

“The Convento de San José (Convent of Saint Joseph) is a monastery of Discalced Carmelite nuns in Ávila, Spain. It is situated not far from the center of the city but outside the medieval walls. Saint Teresa of Jesus was the driving force behind the foundation of the monastery, which was built from 1562 onwards. The church (by Francisco de Mora) was only begun in 1607 after Saint Teresa's death. The statue in the facade was commissioned by King Philip III of Spain via artist Giraldo de Merlo. The Convent of Saint Joseph is a monastery of Discalced Carmelite nuns located in the Spanish city of Ávila, in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It was the first monastery founded by Saint Teresa of Jesus, who had the support of such important figures as the Bishop of Ávila, Alvaro Hurtado de Mendoza, who was later buried there. The convent was built in the year of 1562, although the church, its most important architectural element, was built only in 1607.” (Convento de San José, Wikipedia)

Casa de los Deanes

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Casa de los Deanes (Museo de Ávila)
Plaza Nalvillos
Ávila, September 2025

“The Ávila Museum, located in the Casa de los Deanes, is a cultural space in the city of Ávila, Spain. Its origins as a centuries-old museum date back to 1911. Since 1987, it has been managed by the Regional Government of Castilla y León. Its collection includes works of archaeology and fine arts, as well as an extensive ethnological catalogue of the area. It is owned by the State through the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport. The first institution that preceded the Museum of Ávila was created as an ‘Honorary Museum’ by the Monuments Commission of the province of Ávila and inaugurated in 1911 in the building of the ‘Teresianos Library and Museum’, as the repository of the province's Historical and Artistic Heritage. It later passed through other locations in the Alcázar, the Arch of San Vicente, the cloister of the Cathedral, and the Chapel of Las Nieves (with periods of storage in various municipal warehouses). Finally, in 1968, it was institutionalized as a Provincial Museum, ‘with its own exhibits, building, budget, and staff, linked to the Ministry of Education, and later to Culture.’ It reopened in 1971. In 1986, it was remodeled as the Ávila Museum, and a year later, it was managed by the Regional Government of Castile and León. Since 1969 the museum has been located in the Casa de los Deanes, extending its collection in 1998 to the Almacén Visitable de Santo Tomé, in the historic space of the Plaza de Nalvillos in the capital of Avila. The Casa de los Deanes building was declared a Site of Cultural Interest, with the category of monument, on October 1, 1962.” (Museo de Ávila, Wikipedia)

Santo Tomé el Viejo

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Santo Tomé el Viejo
Plaza de Italia
Ávila, September 2025

“The church of Santo Tomé el Viejo, is a Catholic temple located in the Spanish city of Ávila in Castile and León. It is located in front of the wall, exiting through the arch of the Weight of the Flour or of the Cathedral. It already existed before 1150 and was remodeled at the end of the 12th century in Romanesque style. After the confiscation of 1835 it was converted into a workshop and service station until in 1960 it reverted to the Spanish state, which linked it to the provincial museum of which it is part as a visitable warehouse.” (Iglesia de Santo Tomé el Viejo, Wikipedia)

Torreón de los Guzmanes

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Torreón de los Guzmanes
Plaza Corral de las Campanas
Ávila, September 2025

“The Torreón de los Guzmanes is a Renaissance building located in the Spanish city of Ávila (Castile and León). The building is also the current headquarters of the Provincial Council of Ávila. It was built in 1513 by order of Garcibáñez de Mújica, on another building that previously belonged to Sancho del Águila.In 1878, King Alfonso XII, during a visit to the city, stayed in this palace. The Argentine writer Enrique Larreta set part of his 1920 novel ‘La gloria de don Ramiro’ (The Glory of Don Ramiro) in this building.” (Torreón de los Guzmanes, Wikipedia)

Palacio de los Superunda

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Palacio de los Superunda
Plaza Corral de las Campanas
Ávila, September 2025

“The Palacio de los Superunda is a building in the Spanish city of Ávila , Castile and León . It has the status of Site of Cultural Interest. Located in the Castilian-Leonese city of Ávila, within the walled enclosure, close to the gates of the Matadero and the Rastro, along with other buildings of outstanding artistic and historical value. The palace, of Italian style, was built in the 16th century. In 1595 the stonemason Juan Vela carried out the works of the façade. Although its first resident was Ochoa de Aguirre, it owes its name to the Count of Superunda and Marquis of Bermudo, who had the opportunity to inherit it in the 19th century. This is a beautifully proportioned Renaissance building with a square floor plan. It consists of a basement, two floors, and two turrets at the ends of the main façade that break its horizontal character. The organization of the façade, although overall symmetrical, is not so in detail, as the doorway is under one of the side turrets.” (Palacio de los Superunda, Wikipedia)

Iglesia de San Juan

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Iglesia de San Juan
Calle Martín Carramolino
Ávila, September 2025

“The Church of San Juan is a Catholic temple located in the Spanish city of Ávila, in Castile and León. The building is located in the Plaza del Mercado Chico in Ávila, where it has one of its doors, although the main one is the one that opens onto San Juan Street. Teresa de Cepeda y Ahumada was baptized in this church and over the years became known as Saint Teresa of Jesus. It was declared a national historical-artistic monument on April 13, 1983, by a decree published on June 11, 1983 in the Official State Gazette , with the signatures of King Juan Carlos I and the then Minister of Culture Javier Solana.” (Iglesia de San Juan, Wikipedia)

Iglesia de San Ignacio de Loyola

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Iglesia de San Ignacio de Loyola
Plaza Teniente Arévalo
Ávila, September 2025

“It dates back to 1623 with the acquisition by Archbishop Diego de Guzmán of some medieval buildings renovated in the 16th century, within the Dávila palace complex and adjoining the southern section of the wall within the walls. On the northern façade, a series of elements remain (a massive defensive tower, twin windows, and a large voussoired doorway) that denote its civil origin. The Jesuits settled there, adapting the acquired buildings to serve as a church, school, and hospice. After the expulsion of the Society of Jesus—decreed by Charles III in 1775—the premises became the Episcopal Palace (a function it still performs today), and the church was renamed Santo Tomé el Nuevo. It has three naves, each topped by its own apse (which, surprisingly, faces west), with no transept and a dome on pendentives; the side apses are unremarkable on the exterior. Inside, a high gallery, like a tribune and an exceptional case in the city of Ávila, runs along the side naves, serving as the Episcopal Archive. The different chapels house an interesting collection of Baroque and Churrigueresque altarpieces.” (San Ignacio de Loyola, ÁvilaTurismo)

Palacio de Valderrábanos

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Palacio de Valderrábanos
Plaza de la Catedral
Ávila, September 2025

“The Palacio de Valderrábanos, also known as the house of Gonzálo Dávila , is a 14th- century building located in the cathedral square of Ávila. On the main façade, from its initial construction, a relief is preserved above the entrance, supported by a maiden under a trefoil arch. This relief shows the helmet with a plume and a Moorish banner with a half-moon. It is surrounded by a ribbon with the following inscription in Latin: ‘Non nobis Domine, non nobis. Sed nomini tuo da gloriam’ (Not to us, Lord, not to us; but glory to your name). It comes from Psalm 113:9 that Saint Bernard of Clairvaux imposed on the Order of the Knights Templar as a motto. On the right side, there is a large tower built of brick and adobe. The façade also still retains its mullioned windows, some of them twinned. It belonged to Gonzalo Dávila de Ágreda, a knight who was master of the Catholic Monarchs, governor of the Maestrazgo de Calatrava and mayor of Jerez. The palace was renovated and is currently used as a hotel. The wooden ceilings and coffered ceiling of the former Valderrábanos palace are on display in the Ávila Museum. The first client of the remodeled Palacio de Valderrábanos, converted into a hotel, was Adolfo Suárez, who stayed in room 126 in 1971.” (Palacio de Valderrábanos, Wikipedia)

Murallas

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Murallas (Walls)
Ávila, September 2025

“The Walls of Ávila, completed between the 11th and 14th centuries, are the defensive walls of Ávila, Spain, and its principal historic feature. These medieval fortifications are the most complete and best preserved in all the country. The Old Town of Ávila, including the walls and its extramural churches, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985. The work was started in 1090 but most of the defensive wall appears to have been rebuilt in the 12th century. The enclosed area is an irregular rectangle of 31 hectares (77 acres) with a perimeter of some 2,516 metres (8,255 ft), including 88 semicircular towers. The walls have an average width of 3 metres (9.8 ft) and an average height of 12 metres (39 ft). The nine gates were completed over several different periods.” (Walls of Ávila, Wikipedia)

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)

Ermita del Humilladero

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Ermita del Humilladero
Calle Humilladero
Ávila, September 2025

“The Ermita del Humilladero (Humilladero hermitage) is a Catholic temple in the Spanish city of Ávila , whose construction dates back to the 16th century. Located in the city of Ávila, it is also called the ‘humilladero de la Vera Cruz’. It is a hermitage made of Berroqueña ashlar stone whose construction was halted between 1552 and 1594, according to Juan Martín Carramolino. After leveling the road that led from the city to Madrid, the main façade (the south one) was buried up to half of the door. It is located a few meters from the Basilica of San Vicente.” (Ermita del Humilladero, Wikipedia)

Nuestra Señora de las Nieves

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Ermita de Nuestra Señora de las Nieves
Calle Reyes Católicos
Ávila, September 2025

“The hermitage of Our Lady of the Snows is a Catholic temple in the Spanish city of Ávila. Located within the city of Ávila, within the walls, this chapel was founded by María Dávila. It is located in a central and busy spot in the city: Calle Reyes Católicos (previously known as ‘de Andrín’ or ‘del Comercio’). Solidly constructed, it is built of Berroqueña stone, laid on ashlars. According to Juan Martín Carramolino, it is thought to be a disproportionate building, as its height does not correspond to its other tiny dimensions. Next to the chapel were the houses that served as the residence of the Franciscan nuns from the time they abandoned their original convent of Villa Dei on the Gordillas mountain until they settled in a convent built in the city. In 1600, Antonio Gutiérrez de Vayas and his wife María de la Concepción obtained the right to patronage this chapel.” (Ermita de Nuestra Señora de las Nieves, Wikipedia)

Casa consistorial

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Casa consistorial (Town Hall)
Plaza del Mercado Chico
Ávila, September 2025

“The Ávila Town Hall is the headquarters of the Ávila City Council, located in the Plaza del Mercado Chico, in the Spanish city of Ávila. Its erection dates back to the last years of the reign of Isabel II. Designed by the municipal architect Ildefonso Vázquez de Zúñiga, the works would take place in a period between 1861 and 1868. It is located presiding over the central Plaza del Mercado Chico, inside the walls of the medieval city . It replaced another town hall located in the same square and built during the 16th century. The building, which would be restored in the early 1980s, has a clock on its facade.” (Casa consistorial de Ávila, Wikipedia)

Basílica de San Vicente

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Basílica de San Vicente
Plaza de San Vicente
Ávila, September 2025

“The Basílica de los Santos Hermanos Mártires, Vicente, Sabina y Cristeta, best known as Basílica de San Vicente, is a church in Ávila, Spain. It is one of the best examples of Romanesque architecture in the country. According to legend, Christian martyrs Vicente, Sabina and Cristeta were martyred during the rule of the Roman Emperor Diocletian; their corpses were buried into the rock and later a basilica was built over their tombs. In 1062 their remains were moved to the monastery of San Pedro de Arlanza in Burgos, but later, in 1175, they were returned to Ávila and the construction of a new basilica was started at the location. Construction was repeatedly halted or slowed, and were finished in the fourteenth century thanks to the support of Alfonso X and Sancho IV.” (Basilica of San Vicente, Wikipedia)