The Convento de San Juan de la Penitencia, also known as the Colegio de Doncellas pobres de San Juan de la Penitencia, is an Isabelline former

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 ...

building that was erected in 1514 in

Toledo, Spain Toledo ( , ) is a city and municipality of Spain, capital of the province of Toledo and the ''de jure'' seat of the government and parliament of the autonomous community of Castilla–La Mancha. Toledo was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESC ...

. The convent was established to rescue women from the street until they marry or to insert them into religious life. The convent was commissioned by Don

Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros, OFM (1436 – 8 November 1517), spelled Ximenes in his own lifetime, and commonly referred to today as simply Cisneros, was a Spanish cardinal, religious figure, and statesman. Starting from humble beginning ...

and built by architect Pedro Gumiel, combining elements of

Moorish style Moorish Revival or Neo-Moorish is one of the exotic revival architectural styles that were adopted by architects of Europe and the Americas in the wake of Romanticist Orientalism. It reached the height of its popularity after the mid-19th centu ...

with the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

. The altarpiece was made by Alejandro Semini. The convent building suffered a devastating fire in 1936. It later served as a refuge for the homeless after the

Spanish Civil War The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, link ...

. The building currently houses the

Music Conservatory A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger ins ...

and the Center for International Studies of the Ortega y Gasset Foundation.

References

External links

Convento de San Juan de la Penitencia in toledo-tourism
{{authority control Roman Catholic churches in Toledo, Spain Convents in Spain Education in Castilla–La Mancha Religious buildings and structures completed in 1514 Music schools in Spain Isabelline architecture