Logbook · 19 places

Hospital of Nuestra Señora de la Caridad

Illescas, La Sagra, Toledo

1 Villages · 7 Monuments · 2 Nature · 2 Activities · 3 Curiosities · 4 Historical milestones

Spain › Castilla-La Mancha › Toledo › La Sagra › Illescas › Hospital of Nuestra Señora de la Caridad

Hospital of Nuestra Señora de la Caridad

Monument · Illescas, La Sagra, Toledo

The Hospital de Nuestra Señora de la Caridad in Illescas (Toledo), founded around 1500, is linked to the sanctuary of the same name, which Cardinal Cisneros had built in exchange for erecting a convent of Franciscan nuns there. The complex, with plans by Pedro de Gumiel, was remodelled in the 16th century, between 1588 and 1600, by Nicolás de Vergara and his brother Juan. The sanctuary's main altarpiece, by El Greco (1603), is complemented by his canvases on the life of the Virgin, four of which are kept here — one, Los desposorios de la Virgen, is today in Romania — along with his San Ildefonso. Philip II was devoted to the Virgen de la Caridad, patroness of Illescas and crowned in 1955. Its fabric and artistic heritage make it the town's most important monumental ensemble.

Photo: Zarateman (CC0)

What to see and do in Illescas