Chapels of the cloister of the Charterhouse of Granada

The cloister chapels of the Cartuja de Granada capture the attention of visitors to the monastery, due to their layout and the remarkable works of pictorial art they contain. For this reason, today we are going to explain their characteristics to you.

Would you like to know more about the details of the chapels of the cloister of the Charterhouse of Granada? Stay and read this post, we will show you everything you need to know below!

Origin of the chapels in the cloister of the Charterhouse of Granada

The solitary celebration of the Eucharist was a religious action carried out by the Carthusian monks on a daily basis. This led to the need to set up and build several chapels or altars around the monastery.

In Granada, it was customary for them to be opened next to the wall of the church, in one of the cloister's pandas. Thus, in the case of the Monasterio de la Cartuja in Granada, we can see the existence of five chapels of very small proportions, with gothic vaults and lanterns similar to the one at the centre of the ceiling of the Sala De Profundis.

Paintings in the chapels of the cloister of the Charterhouse of the Carthusian monastery of Granada

The most unique feature of the cloister chapels of the Cartuja de Granada is the 18th-century pictorial decoration on their walls. However, it should be noted that many of the paintings disappeared or were transported to another location after the ex-laustration.

Its spectacular paintings would cover the entire front of the altar, finished in a semicircular shape and, among them, the most outstanding ones were Saint Anne, Saint Joseph, Saint Mary Magdalene and Saint Ildefonso. This last painting is currently conserved in the Museum of Fine Arts in Granada, although the whereabouts of the other three are unknown.

The chapels that made up the cloister of the Granada Carthusian monastery were the chapels of Saint Hugo, the Apostles, the Virgin of the Rosary, the Magdalene and the Immaculate Conception, which formed a complex of Eucharistic spaces sufficient for all the monks of the monastery.

Chapel of Saint Hugo

The chapel of San Hugo is preserved practically intact and with its original structure, being the most outstanding of all the existing chapels. However, today it is the monastery's caretaker's house.

It has a square floor plan, where the chancel is differentiated from the rest of the chapel by a segmental arch. It is also enclosed by a carved vaulted ceiling reminiscent of the plasterwork of the church choir.

In this chapel, the protagonist was the painting of The Vision of Saint Hugo, which is also today in the Museum of Fine Arts in Granada.

Why visit the Cartuja Monastery in Granada?

As you have seen throughout this article on the chapels of the cloister of the Cartuja de Granada, this monument has many rooms of great importance, which led it to be considered an Asset of Cultural Interest and a Historic-Artistic Monument.

If you would like to visit this monument, do not hesitate to buy your tickets to the Cartuja Monastery of Granada on our official website of the Archdiocese of Granada.

Book a date and let yourself be amazed by this wonderful temple!