Museums of the Royal Monastery of Guadalupe

One of the visits that you can't miss on your way through Guadalupe is the one around the monastery museums, as the beauty of the items on display is unique.

In the Embroidery Museum, which occupies the old monks' refectory, you can enjoy the marvellous craftwork done in the monastery workshops from 1415. Capes, wimples, cornets, robes... all embroidered with great delicacy in rich materials and using the most refined techniques of the period, including that of inlaying precious metals. You will also come across some items belonging to liturgy or the typical trades of the monastery.

In the Museum of Illuminated Books, you will find a collection of 107 manuscripts – each more beautiful than the last. Ninety-seven of them are large choirbooks, which stand out due to their artistic quality, especially those done in 15th and 16th centuries. These books were created in the scriptorium of the monastery for over 300 years. This museum is located in the Mudejar cloister.

The Paintings and Sculptures Museum is also in the Mudejar cloister, exactly where the old bakery used to be. The works by El Greco, Zurbarán, Goya and Juan de Flandes stand out, amongst other great artists.

The sacristy is practically another museum as it houses eight canvases by Francisco de Zurbarán, representing the different chores done by the Hieronymite monks who lived at the monastery at that time and, in the Chapel of San Jerónimo, the so-called "Pearl of Zurbarán", the Apotheosis of St Jerome.