Convento de la Magdalena was a

convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

, now a hotel, situated to the southwest of the town of

Antequera Antequera () is a city and municipality in the Comarca de Antequera, province of Málaga, part of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia. It is known as "the heart of Andalusia" (''el corazón de Andalucía'') because of its central locat ...

Province of Málaga The province of Málaga ( es, Provincia de Málaga ) is located in Andalusia, Spain. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the south and by the provinces of Cádiz to the west, Seville to the northwest, Córdoba to the north, and Granada to ...

, Spain. Its history was known through the translation of an 18th-century monk's manuscript. In 2009 it was converted into a luxury hotel, known as the Hotel Convento La Magdalena, with 21 rooms. Olive groves and mills in the vicinity reflect the occupation of people in the area. A stream, Arroyo de la Magdalena, flows nearby.

History

The convent was established in 1570 by the merchant, Ildefonso Alvarez, who possessed an altarpiece of the Virgin Magdalena. Alvarez took refuge in the area's caves and lived like a hermit. In the following three years, he struggled to pay his debts and eventually attracted the attention of the Christian community who helped him. In 1585, construction started on a small chapel in the area. In 1648 the place became renowned for the healing from the plague by Father Cardenas, a pastor of

Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

who had journeyed to the little church. Fame and abundant alms sowed corruption among hermits. In 1685, the hermits were expelled by order of the Bishop of Málaga. The order of the Discalced

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...

s took over the management of the church in 1691 and began construction of the new convent. In 1761 the guardian of the convent was reported to be Fr. Juan Gomez. The convent was abandoned in the mid-19th century.

Hotel

In 2009, the convent underwent a careful restoration and became a five star hotel that left many of the original features of the Franciscan convent. Many frescoes still remain on the arched ceilings and walls. Hotel Convento La Magdalena is part of the Antequera Golf Group and includes the Antequera Golf Course with 18 holes. It has 21 rooms, including 13 double rooms, 5 suites and 1 Royal suite. Several rooms have their own terrace and access to an organic garden. The rooms are all furnished with a flat screen TV and air conditioning and heating. The hotel is served by the "Refectorio" restaurant under chef David Muñoz, formerly of ''

elBulli El Bulli () was a restaurant near the town of Roses, Catalonia, Spain, run by chef Ferran Adrià and driven by the culinary ideas of Albert Adrià. The restaurant overlooked Cala Montjoi, a bay on Catalonia's Costa Brava. It held three Michelin st ...

'', serving traditional Andalusian and Mediterranean cuisine. The hotel also contains the "Tetería Arabe", the "Piano Bar" which serves coffee, and the "Bodegas" bar, noted for its

karaoke Karaoke (; ; , clipped compound of Japanese ''kara'' "empty" and ''ōkesutora'' "orchestra") is a type of interactive entertainment usually offered in clubs and bars, where people sing along to recorded music using a microphone. The music is ...

and

flamenco dancing Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and ...

References

;Bibliography * Villegas Ruiz, Manuel: "El convento de la Magdalena de los franciscanos descalzos de Antequera según una crónica latina del siglo XVIII". “MAGDALENA.shs”. Conferencia en los VI Cursos de Verano sobre el Franciscanismo en Andalucía. Priego de Córdoba, 2000. Cajasur. Obra Social y Cultural. Córdoba, 2002 I.S.B.N.84-923993-9-2. II Vol. Págs. 419-435.

External links

Official website
{{coord, 37, 0, 16, N, 4, 36, 11, W, type:landmark, display=title Convents in Spain Hotels in Andalusia Churches in Málaga 1570 establishments in Spain