Santo Domingo Convent
Introduction
It is the first convent founded after the Christian conquest, where the Dominican friars settled in 1547.
It is a building of humble origins, consisting of the convent together with an open courtyard and the church, which preserves one of the jewels of the province of Granada, a polychrome Mudejar roof frame, which is listed as a Historic-Artistic Monument.
The convents of Huéscar suffered the vicissitudes of history, such as the clashes with the Moors, the French war and invasion, the suppression of the religious orders and the civil war. Fortunately, the church was converted into a theatre in the 19th century and restored in 2013.
Santo Domingo Convent
Origins
It is the first convent founded after the Christian conquest, where the Dominican friars settled in 1547.
It is a building of humble origins, consisting of the convent together with an open courtyard and the church, which preserves one of the jewels of the province of Granada, a polychrome Mudejar roof frame, which is listed as a Historic-Artistic Monument.
The convents of Huéscar suffered the vicissitudes of history, such as the clashes with the Moors, the French war and invasion, the suppression of the religious orders and the civil war. Fortunately, the church was converted into a theatre in the 19th century and restored in 2013.
Santo Domingo Convent
The Royal Road
Huéscar is located on the natural road from Granada to Valencia on what was once a Royal Road and was therefore strategically a place of conflict between Moors and Christians.
The new convent became a barrier to access to the city as it made it impossible for the Moors, whose plan was to regain access to the Levante and the connection with the Turks, to enter en masse.
It is documented that in 1570 the Moors tried to enter the city through the north gate that gave access, through the Dominican convent, to the Calle Mayor de Huéscar. A friar spotted them and they were able to defend the city thanks to the crossroads at the convent's location.
Santo Domingo Convent
Construction
Due to the humble nature of the order, only part of what was planned for the convent was built, with a single side cloister that was left open to a courtyard and the garden and closed off with simple walls.
Likewise, the church, which was originally intended to have three naves, was built with a single nave, covered by a spectacular wooden ceiling consisting of a polychrome Mudejar framework, with double braces and decorated with eight-pointed stars and muqarnas pine cones.
The convent functioned in parallel with the later founding of the convent of San Francisco and the Dominican convent of La Encarnación. In 1782 there were 9 friars, 5 of whom were teachers.
Santo Domingo Convent
Decadence
Huéscar suffered especially during the War of Independence, and during the French occupation in 1812, as it was part of the escape route of the Moors to Valencia, via the Camino Real (Royal Road) to Caravaca. It was stripped of money, foodstuffs and artistic objects. The decline of the convents culminated with the suppression of the Religious Orders and Communities in 1835 by Mendizábal.
The convent was later used as a granary and prison, but the church passed into the hands of a Society of local lords who were committed to the theatre. In the 19th century they created the Sociedad Teatral Oscense, which had a great heyday, founding a small theatre without transforming the original structure and trying to protect the Mudejar roof.
Santo Domingo Convent
Oscense Theatre
After several years of abandonment, it was decided to restore the convent with two main objectives: to recover the image that the church and the convent had had at the beginning with the Dominican order, and to recover the theatre function that had been developed during its last years of activity.
In order to adapt the complex to the new needs, it was necessary to add a new body for the stage, in the place where the apse of the church would have been.
The result is a theatre with a capacity for 300 people, with good acoustics, good visibility and respecting the original architecture.
Santo Domingo Convent
Introduction
It is the first convent founded after the Christian conquest, where the Dominican friars settled in 1547.
It is a building of humble origins, consisting of the convent together with an open courtyard and the church, which preserves one of the jewels of the province of Granada, a polychrome Mudejar roof frame, which is listed as a Historic-Artistic Monument.
The convents of Huéscar suffered the vicissitudes of history, such as the clashes with the Moors, the French war and invasion, the suppression of the religious orders and the civil war. Fortunately, the church was converted into a theatre in the 19th century and restored in 2013.
Santo Domingo Convent
Origins
It is the first convent founded after the Christian conquest, where the Dominican friars settled in 1547.
It is a building of humble origins, consisting of the convent together with an open courtyard and the church, which preserves one of the jewels of the province of Granada, a polychrome Mudejar roof frame, which is listed as a Historic-Artistic Monument.
The convents of Huéscar suffered the vicissitudes of history, such as the clashes with the Moors, the French war and invasion, the suppression of the religious orders and the civil war. Fortunately, the church was converted into a theatre in the 19th century and restored in 2013.
Santo Domingo Convent
The Royal Road
Huéscar is located on the natural road from Granada to Valencia on what was once a Royal Road and was therefore strategically a place of conflict between Moors and Christians.
The new convent became a barrier to access to the city as it made it impossible for the Moors, whose plan was to regain access to the Levante and the connection with the Turks, to enter en masse.
It is documented that in 1570 the Moors tried to enter the city through the north gate that gave access, through the Dominican convent, to the Calle Mayor de Huéscar. A friar spotted them and they were able to defend the city thanks to the crossroads at the convent's location.
Santo Domingo Convent
Construction
Due to the humble nature of the order, only part of what was planned for the convent was built, with a single side cloister that was left open to a courtyard and the garden and closed off with simple walls.
Likewise, the church, which was originally intended to have three naves, was built with a single nave, covered by a spectacular wooden ceiling consisting of a polychrome Mudejar framework, with double braces and decorated with eight-pointed stars and muqarnas pine cones.
The convent functioned in parallel with the later founding of the convent of San Francisco and the Dominican convent of La Encarnación. In 1782 there were 9 friars, 5 of whom were teachers.
Santo Domingo Convent
Decadence
Huéscar suffered especially during the War of Independence, and during the French occupation in 1812, as it was part of the escape route of the Moors to Valencia, via the Camino Real (Royal Road) to Caravaca. It was stripped of money, foodstuffs and artistic objects. The decline of the convents culminated with the suppression of the Religious Orders and Communities in 1835 by Mendizábal.
The convent was later used as a granary and prison, but the church passed into the hands of a Society of local lords who were committed to the theatre. In the 19th century they created the Sociedad Teatral Oscense, which had a great heyday, founding a small theatre without transforming the original structure and trying to protect the Mudejar roof.
Santo Domingo Convent
Oscense Theatre
After several years of abandonment, it was decided to restore the convent with two main objectives: to recover the image that the church and the convent had had at the beginning with the Dominican order, and to recover the theatre function that had been developed during its last years of activity.
In order to adapt the complex to the new needs, it was necessary to add a new body for the stage, in the place where the apse of the church would have been.
The result is a theatre with a capacity for 300 people, with good acoustics, good visibility and respecting the original architecture.