Miraflores Charterhouse ( es, Cartuja de Miraflores) is an

Isabelline style The Isabelline style, also called the Isabelline Gothic ( es, Gótico Isabelino), or Castilian late Gothic, was the dominant architectural style of the Crown of Castile during the reign of the Catholic Monarchs, Queen Isabella I of Castile and ...

charterhouse, or

Carthusian The Carthusians, also known as the Order of Carthusians ( la, Ordo Cartusiensis), are a Latin enclosed religious order of the Catholic Church. The order was founded by Bruno of Cologne in 1084 and includes both monks and nuns. The order has i ...

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whic ...

of the Order of the Carthusians, built on a hill (known as Miraflores) about three kilometres from the center of the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

city of

Burgos Burgos () is a city in Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the province of Burgos. Burgos is situated in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, on the confluence o ...

, autonomous community of

Castile and León Castile and León ( es, Castilla y León ; ast-leo, Castiella y Llión ; gl, Castela e León ) is an autonomous community in northwestern Spain. It was created in 1983, eight years after the end of the Francoist regime, by the merging of th ...

. Its origin dates back to 1442, when King John II of Castile donated a hunting lodge outside

, which had been erected by his father Henry III of Castile "the Mourner" in 1401, to the Order of the Carthusians for its conversion into a monastery, thus fulfilling his father's wishes, as stated in his will. A fire in 1452 caused the destruction of the pavilion, and construction of a new building began in 1454. It is this building, which was placed under the patronage of Saint Mary of the Annunciation, which exists today. The construction was commissioned to

Juan de Colonia Juan de Colonia or Johannes von Köln (about 1410, Cologne – August 3, 1481, Burgos) was a gothic architect who introduced the flamboyant style to Castile. About 1440 Juan de Colonia was invited by Alfonso de Cartagena, the then bishop of Bur ...

, and was continued after his death by his son,

Simón de Colonia Simón de Colonia (died 1511) was a Spanish architect and sculptor, son of architect Juan de Colonia and father of architect and sculptor Francisco de Colonia. Francisco de Colonia was a Gothic style sculptor and architect of the Plateresque. ...

, who completed the structure in 1484 at the behest of Queen

Isabella I of Castile Isabella I ( es, Isabel I; 22 April 1451 – 26 November 1504), also called Isabella the Catholic (Spanish: ''la Católica''), was Queen of Castile from 1474 until her death in 1504, as well as Queen consort of Aragon from 1479 until 1504 b ...

, surviving daughter of king John II of Castile and queen

Isabella of Portugal Isabella of Portugal (24 October 1503 – 1 May 1539) was the empress consort and queen consort of her cousin Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, King of Spain, Archduke of Austria, and Duke of Burgundy. She was Queen of Spain and Germany, and ...

, whose impressive buried are housed in the monastery. It is a late-

Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...

jewel, and its highlights include the church, whose

western facade is decorated with the coats-of-arms of its founders. The monastery consists of a single nave with stellar vault and side chapels, and is topped by a polygonal apse.

Situation and access

The Charterhouse is 3 km east of the city center of

, in the parque de Fuentes Blancas, close to the Arlanzón River. The monument is easily accessible from the city of Burgos, and can be reached along an easy footpath in a natural setting. It is possible to go by bus or taxi from the city, and it has free parking for private vehicles and buses. Visits are free and open to the public.

Origins

First in 1401 was erected the Palace-alcázar of Miraflores, built by King Henry III of Castile "the Mourner". Later, the Miraflores Charterhouse was founded in 1442 after the donation to Order of the Carthusians by King John II of Castile inside the Palace-alcázar of Miraflores. That original monastery, originally placed under the patronage of

Saint Francis of Assisi Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, better known as Saint Francis of Assisi ( it, Francesco d'Assisi; – 3 October 1226), was a mystic Italian Catholic friar, founder of the Franciscans, and one of the most venerated figures in Christianit ...

, suffered a fire in 1452 causing a new approach to the building according to the current design, which was commissioned architect

, who worked at that time in the Cathedral of Burgos. With the arrival to the throne of the John II's daughter,

, return the work in monastery from the year 1477, undertaking new projects such as the Sepulchers of the Kings or the Altarpiece. It will continue the architectural tracery of Garci Fernández de Matienzo and later of

, son of

, finishing the works of vaulting of the monastery in year 1484. Between 1532 and 1539 undertaken other architectural works in the monastery under direction of Diego de Mendieta, designed to create the side chapels and give greater height to the church as well as the incorporation of

spire A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spires a ...

s and

pinnacles A pinnacle is an architectural element originally forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret, but afterwards used on parapets at the corners of towers and in many other situations. The pinnacle looks like a small spire. It was main ...

, and incorporation of the cresting.

19th-century drawings of the Miraflores Charterhouse

Both of these sights preverves within today File:John II of Castile Miraflores Charterhouse 1844.jpg, Sepulchers of John II of Castile and Isabella of Portugal in the Miraflores Charterhouse by

Jenaro Pérez Villaamil Jenaro Pérez de Villaamil y d'Huguet (3 February 1807 – 5 June 1854) was a Spanish painter in the Romantic style who specialized in landscapes with figures and architectural scenes. He often inflated the scale of the buildings relative t ...

and Charles Fichot in 1850. Lithograph published in the work España artística y monumental. File:Tomb of infante Don Alonso 1865.jpg, Sepulcher of infante Alfonso in the Miraflores Charterhouse by

and Philippe Benoist in 1850. Lithograph published in the work España artística y monumental.

Written sources

The sources for the study of the Miraflores Charterhouse include writings of various kinds * Compendium of the

Libro becerro is a Japanese book retailer. A unit of the Seiyu Group, it is headquartered in the , Nishi-Ikebukuro, Toshima, Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of ...

entitled ''Brief and compendious news of the foundation of this Miraflores Charterhouse taken from Libro Becerro with worthy of knowing's other news'', and covering events and privileges granted to the Charterhouse from 1442-1764. * Other sources, among which are the following contributions: ** Iglesia, Fr. Nicolás
">"Flowers of Miraflores sacred hieroglyphics, figurative truths, true shadows of the Mistery of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin and Mother of God Our Lady Mary […
/nowiki>»], Burgos, 1659. ** Vallés, José de, "First Institute of the Sacred Religion of the Cartuxa: foundations of convents throughout Spain, martyrs of England and generals of the whole order" Madrid, 1663. ** Arias de Miranda, Juan, "Historical Notes about Miraflores Charterhouse Burgos» Burgos, 1843. ** Tarín and Juaneda, Francisco, "The Royal Miraflores Charterhouse (Burgos). History and description" Burgos, 1896.

Exterior set

Floor

Plano de la Cartuja de Miraflores (Burgos)

The floor of the monastery follows other Carthusian monasteries's pattern of the Middle Ages. The floor develops from the placement of the church and the layout of two main

cloister A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against a ...

s for each of the groups of Carthusian monks who inhabit: Fathers and Brothers. Around these two cloisters are individual hermitages that allows the monk to live solitude and silence own of the Carthusian spirituality. This part of the monastery is not visitable. The floor of the church is formed by a single quadripartite longitudinal nave, distinguishing the spaces of the

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ov ...

, the choir of the Fathers, the choir of the Brothers and the faithfuls stay. The nave is closed with vaults with tiercerons, keeping the

original layout.

Portal

The church's

portal Portal often refers to: * Portal (architecture), an opening in a wall of a building, gate or fortification, or the extremities (ends) of a tunnel Portal may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Gaming * ''Portal'' (series), two video games ...

rose in year 1486 and was originally located on left side of the monastery, providing access to faithfuls directly from outside the monastery. It consists of pointed

archivolt An archivolt (or voussure) is an ornamental moulding or band following the curve on the underside of an arch. It is composed of bands of ornamental mouldings (or other architectural elements) surrounding an arched opening, corresponding to the ...

s decorated with plants, animals and some human figurative motifs located under a big

ogee An ogee ( ) is the name given to objects, elements, and curves—often seen in architecture and building trades—that have been variously described as serpentine-, extended S-, or sigmoid-shaped. Ogees consist of a "double curve", the combinat ...

with poaceaes. In the tympanum represents the motive of the Compassion of the Virgin, which according to late-Medieval iconographic canons, shows the Virgin sitting with her died Son in her arms, accompanied by the symbols of the moon and sun. Stylistically it is linked to the works of the Colonia (father and son), who participated in the rising of the monastery. It can also relate with other portals of other Burgalese monasteries, i.e. the church of San Nicolás de Bari or the church of San Lesmes Abad. Between 1657 and 1659 was ordered its move to the current location, accessing from courtyard de la Portería and connecting to the nave of the monastery. In year 2010 proceeded to restore the portal to returning to its original condition, especially recovering the Compassion of the Virgin's sculpture. RI-51-0000238 (4)

Courtyard

The entrance's

to the church of the Charterhouse is currently located in an entrance's courtyard landscaped with a Saint Bruno of Cologne's statue, founder of the Order. Its tracery dates from first half of the 16th century, originally serving as connection of the stays of the monastery with the service units and the portería. The arcaded

long gallery In architecture, a long gallery is a long, narrow room, often with a high ceiling. In Britain, long galleries were popular in Elizabethan and Jacobean houses. They were normally placed on the highest reception floor of English country hou ...

preceding the courtyard is formed by

arches An arch is a vertical curved structure that spans an elevated space and may or may not support the weight above it, or in case of a horizontal arch like an arch dam, the hydrostatic pressure against it. Arches may be synonymous with vault ...

that form recessed

groin vault A groin vault or groined vault (also sometimes known as a double barrel vault or cross vault) is produced by the intersection at right angles of two barrel vaults. Honour, H. and J. Fleming, (2009) ''A World History of Art''. 7th edn. London: Lau ...

s finished off in

keystones A keystone (or capstone) is the wedge-shaped stone at the apex of a masonry arch or typically round-shaped one at the apex of a vault. In both cases it is the final piece placed during construction and locks all the stones into position, allo ...

with modular decoration. In 2010 the

is intervened for ensure the maintenance of the walls and consolidate the out of waters of the courtyard, that suffered inclement weather.

Inside set

Altarpiece

The main altarpiece of the Charterhouse was carved in wood by artist

Gil de Siloé Gil de Siloé (Antwerp? 1440s – Burgos, 1501) was a Castilian sculptor of Flemish origin, who worked in Burgos in a late gothic or Isabelline style. His Hispano-Flemish style, which combines influences of the Germanic and Flemish gothic, an ...

and polychrome and gilded by Diego de la Cruz (whose gold came from the first shipments of the

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

after its discovery) Made between 1496 and 1499, is undoubtedly one of the most important existing works of the Spanish Gothic sculpture, by its compositional and iconographic originality and excellent quality of carving, valued by the polychrome. One of the most important elements of the altarpiece is the angelic wheel in which is framed the Christ crucified image for its beauty and significantly accentuated expressiveness by the work of

polychrome Polychrome is the "practice of decorating architectural elements, sculpture, etc., in a variety of colors." The term is used to refer to certain styles of architecture, pottery or sculpture in multiple colors. Ancient Egypt Colossal statu ...

of Diego de la Cruz. In the outer part of the wheel, are placed the figures of God the Father to the left and the Holy Spirit to the right bearing the rungs of the

cross A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a sa ...

. In the bottom of the

, the figures of the

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

and

John the Evangelist John the Evangelist ( grc-gre, Ἰωάννης, Iōánnēs; Aramaic: ܝܘܚܢܢ; Ge'ez: ዮሐንስ; ar, يوحنا الإنجيلي, la, Ioannes, he, יוחנן cop, ⲓⲱⲁⲛⲛⲏⲥ or ⲓⲱ̅ⲁ) is the name traditionally given ...

complete the scene. The pelican located at top of the cross gives the core set an extraordinary symbolic value as an allegory to the Eucharistic sacrifice, because the bird feeds its birdies of its own blood.

Royal Sepulchers

Cartuja de Moraflores (Burgos) - Tumba de Juan II

The royal sepulchers set were designed by artist

commissioned by Queen

. On the one hand is the Sepulchers of John II of Castile and Isabella of Portugal, placed in the nave's center, eight-pointed star shaped. And in the Gospel side of the church is located the Sepulcher of infante Alfonso of Castile. Both sepulchers were made in

alabaster Alabaster is a mineral or rock that is soft, often used for carving, and is processed for plaster powder. Archaeologists and the stone processing industry use the word differently from geologists. The former use it in a wider sense that include ...

and are

late-Gothic Gothic architecture (or pointed architecture) is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It e ...

sculpture's jewels.

Sepulchers of the King John II of Castile and Queen consort Isabella of Portugal

The sepulcher of John II of Castile and of his second wife Isabella of Portugal is made in

and is in

style. It has octagonal eight-pointed star shaped, formed by the superposition of a square and a diamond.

Gallery

File:LaCartujaDeMiraflores20121007180408SAM 1675.jpg, Dome of the Chapel of la Virgen de Miraflores. It was built in 1539.

References

External links

Cartuja de Miraflores
{{Authority control Roman Catholic churches in Burgos Monasteries in Castile and León Isabelline architecture Historical Patrimony of Spain Carthusian monasteries in Spain Religious buildings and structures completed in 1442 Tourist attractions in Burgos Burial sites of the House of Trastámara