The secrets of the Sacromonte Abbey

The Abadía del Sacromonte is one of the monuments of Granada that hides great stories beneath its foundations. Despite this, it is not as well known as many others. Over the centuries it has housed a great artistic, bibliographic and archival heritage. For this reason, in previous articles we talked a little about the Sacromonte Abbey and its history.

Now we are going to show you a series of secrets that are hidden under the valley of Valparaíso. Do you want to discover them?

The secrets of the Sacromonte Abbey

The Sacromonte Abbey in Granada is the work of one of the projects carried out by the architect Ambrosio de Vico with the help of Antonio Segura and the Jesuit Pedro Sánchez. Its construction began with a small chapel and housing for the beneficiaries.

One of the most important events was the discovery of human remains and some lead plates written in Arabic, the so-called Libros Plúmbeos. This happened in 1595 and caused a heated controversy. It was not until 1682 that Pope Innocent XI declared them to be forgeries.

Pedro de Castro founded four chaplaincies to care for pilgrims in 1598. Finally the project ended up as a Diocesan Abbey, despite the fact that several religious orders, such as the Augustinians and Benedictines, applied to build a monastery.

The first stone was laid in 1609. In the initial project it can be seen how four more cloisters and a church were designed, but they were never built.

Crosses began to be placed around the monastery, a large number of which were part of a donation from the Franciscans. A total of 1,200 crosses were erected, of which only 4 remain today. 

In 1633 they carried out a Way of the Cross that ended in a small chapel of the Holy Sepulchre. It was then that the mountain was considered a sacred place of pilgrimage and received the name of Sacro Monte.

At that time, Don Pedro de Castro was the archbishop of Granada, who decided to found the Abbey in homage to the martyrs, as a place of Christian worship.

It was in 1610 that the Collegiate Church was inaugurated. Later, from the 17th to the 19th century, the entire complex was built.

Throughout its history, there have been several fires, the last one being in 2000, which destroyed part of the construction of the New College, which was about to be inaugurated.

In the Abadía del Sacromonte we can see an omnipresent sign, which has attracted the attention of the great majority of visitors. It is the star of Solomon. Its founder wanted to make a clear reference to wisdom together with the cult of the martyrs and the missionary and teaching activity.

On the other hand, the Abbey has been considered one of the first level training centres, having among its students Father Andrés Manjón or Francisco Saavedra.

Did you know that the Sacromonte Abbey archives contain information about the development and life of Granada? Yes, among other documents, the layout and construction of the Gran Vía de Granada stands out.

To this day, the vestments and ornaments of the founding archbishop are still preserved, as well as others from the 17th and 18th centuries. Nowadays, these are still used in the great celebrations of the Abbey.

Did you know all these secrets of the Sacromonte Abbey in Granada? If you want to know more about it, buy your ticket online and book your visit now.