Convento de San Gil, Toledo on:
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The Covento de San Gil currently houses the Cortes of Castilla-La Mancha (the parliament). It was a
Cortes of Castilla-La Mancha website
{{Authority control Defunct prisons in Spain Government buildings completed in the 17th century Seats of Spanish regional legislatures Defunct fire stations
The Covento de San Gil currently houses the Cortes of Castilla-La Mancha (the parliament). It 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 Anglic ...
and currently a government building located in the city of Toledo ( Castile-La Mancha, Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
) dating to the 17th century. The Dicalced Franciscans, or ''gilitos'', arrived in this city in the middle of the 16th century, and established it in 1557 in the vicinity of the Ermita de la Virgen de la Rosa. Later, in the early 17th century, two brothers, Francisco and Juan de Herrera
Juan de Herrera (1530 – 15 January 1597) was a Spanish architect, mathematician and geometrician.
One of the most outstanding Spanish architects in the 16th century, Herrera represents the peak of the Renaissance in Spain. His sober style re ...
, donated to the friars 16,000 ducats for the construction of the new convent.
The works began in 1610, and the master of masonry Martínez de Encabo promised to complete the church and the convent in four years.
Very likely the tracerist of the work was Juan Bautista Monegro, who, with Martínez de Encabo, worked in the iglesia de San Pedro Mártir.
The convento de los Gilitos, as it is locally known, is a notable example of the simplicity and sobriety of the Toledan architecture of the early 17th century.
The provincial prison
A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, corre ...
of Toledo was installed in the building in 1863, remaining there until 1931. Then was a barracks for the Guardia Civil
The Civil Guard ( es, Guardia Civil, link=no; ) is the oldest law enforcement agency in Spain and is one of two national police forces. As a national gendarmerie force, it is military in nature and is responsible for civil policing under the au ...
and after, a fire station
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A fire station (also called a fire house, fire hall, firemen's hall, or engine house) is a structure or other area for storing firefighting apparatuses such as fire engines and related vehicles, personal protective equipment, fire ...
. Since 1985 the convent is the seat of the Cortes of Castilla-La Mancha.
The building consists of two areas: the church, located on the east facade, and the convent area, which is distributed around a courtyard. All of these forms are a large rectangle.
See also
* Cortes of Castilla-La ManchaReferences
External links
Cortes of Castilla-La Mancha website
{{Authority control Defunct prisons in Spain Government buildings completed in the 17th century Seats of Spanish regional legislatures Defunct fire stations