1. Puerta Elvira (Elvira Gate)
Muslim gate, already built by the 11th Century, was the main entrance gate of Granada. It witnessed the multicoloured and multiethnic welcome given by the city and kingdom of Granada to the Imperial Couple on June 4th, 1536. Charles V swore respect to the privileges, and customs of the city in this place.
2. Fountain of Charles V
It was ordered to build by the Count of Tendilla, being designed by Pedro Machuca and executed by Niccolo da Corte in 1547. On the lower section, one can see three masks throwing water from their mouths. Some think they are a symbol of the three rivers of Granada (Darro, Genil and Beiro), others believe they represent Summer, Spring and Autumn.
3. Puerta de las Granadas (Gate of the Pomegranates)
It was ordered to built by Emperor Charles V. The project was undertaken by Pedro Machuca on the remains of an old Muslim gate. Three paths have their origins at this gate in the poplar grove: the one to the left leads to the Gate of Justice, the one in the centre to the Generalife and the one to the right to the Carmen de los Mártires.
4. The Royal Chancery
The Royal Chancery, the main institution in Granada during the Imperial era, was moved to its current location by Charles V from the Calle Oidores, in the Albaicín, in 1526. This majestic Renaissance palace houses nowadays the High Court of Justice of Andalusia.
5. Church of San Matías
The Imperial Church of San Matías was built here in 1526 following orders of Emperor Charles V, who was especially fond of Apostle Saint Matthew as he was born on this Apostle’s day, February 24th, 1500.
6. Madraza (Old Town Hall)
It was a Koranic centre of Theological and Scientific studies. It still preserves the mirhab of the Mosque hall. By a Royal Chart, the Catholic Monarchs established the Town Council in this building in September 20th, 1500. Charles V put into place some modifications for the inner organization of the Council during his stay in Granada.
7. Royal Chapel
Pantheon of the Catholic Monarchs. Charles V ordered to bury his parents, Philip I the Handsome and Joanna I the Mad, in this same crypt. He enriched the Chapel with his parents’ mausoleum, a grille and a door with his coat of arms.
8. Church of El Sagrario
It was built on the terrains of the old Main Mosque of Granada, becoming thus the Cathedral of Granada in 1526. Charles V and Isabella of Portugal were here welcomed by the canons and the cathedral dignitaries. After the Thanksgiving celebration, the Imperial Couple continued their way to the Alhambra.
9. Curia
This building, whose construction began in 1538, housed two of the most important educational institutions created in 1526 by Emperor Charles V in Granada. The ground floor was the University and the upper floor the Imperial School of the Santa Cruz de la Fe. It houses the Ecclesiastical Curia since 1769.
10. Cathedral
The Cathedral of Granada is a work of Master Diego de Siloé. Its Main Chapel follows the model of the Constantine Basilica of the Holy Sepulcre of Jerusalem. Charles V planned it to be the pantheon of the new Spanish dynasty, as he considered the Royal Chapel to be insufficient for their Royalty. This Temple hosts several works of art, being the most notable ones the Flemish glass windows of the dome and the paintings of Alonso Cano.
11. Monastery and Church of San Jerónimo
Isabella of Portugal spent most of her time in Granada in the little clauster of this monastery, alter her short stay in the Alhambra. Her pregnancy and the extreme cold winter of 1526 forced her to stay here after his husband’s departure until the beginning of 1527. The Great Captain is here buried.
12. Hospital Real (Royal Hospital)
The Hospital Real, founded by the Catholic Monarcas and undertaken by Egas as a large medical “campus” for the city, was only finished thanks to the Emperor’s determination and economic help. He himself inaugurated the Hospital before his departure in December, 1526. It currently houses the governing body of the University and its Main Library.
13. Palace of Charles V
The masterpice of the Renaissance in Granada. It was planned to be the Emperor’s residence and its construction was decided in 1526 by himself. The works began in 1533 under Pedro Machuca’s orders. However it was not then finished. Inside the Old Nasrid Royal House, the Emperor ordered several transformations in order to adapt it to the Christian way of life.
Two facts determine the beginning and developing of the Mudejar art. On the first hand, the eight centuries of Islamic domination in the Iberian Peninsula, which left a profound mark in the Spanish artistic and cultural scene. On the other one, the Christian Reconquista (or Reconquest) which generated a historic momentum of coexistence of cultures, which was unknown in other Islam-dominated territories. The Muslim population who remained in the Peninsula after the Christian Reconquest were named “mudéjares” (singular: mudéjar) (from the Arabic: mudayan: “those who were allowed to remain after a payment”). Many of them, experts in building works and related ones, erected many palaces, convents and churches for the newly arrived Christians. They achieved marvellous rich effects with cheap and affordable materials, using quick and efficient work systems, strictly following the Islamic laws.
The selected works show the vitality of Mudéjar creations thanks to their variety and richness. They cover from civil, religious and military architecture to daily life, urban planning, architecture types or the relation with other art styles as the Romanesque, the Gothic or the first Renaissance.
