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Church-Convent of San José

Ocaña, Mesa de Ocaña, Toledo

1 Villages · 14 Monuments · 2 Activities · 5 Curiosities · 2 Historical milestones · 1 Food and drink

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Church-Convent of San José

Monument · Ocaña, Mesa de Ocaña, Toledo

The convent of San José, in Ocaña (Toledo), is a foundation of Discalced Carmelites in 16th-century Renaissance style, established in 1595 by María de Bazán, wife of Alonso de Ercilla, with the authorisation of Cardinal Albert of Austria. The church was consecrated in 1626, its first prioress being sister Beatriz de Jesús, niece of Saint Teresa of Ávila, which links the town to the reform of the Carmelite order. In its crypt lay, for centuries, the remains of Alonso de Ercilla, author of La Araucana, moved to Madrid in 1869 and partly returned in 1877. The convent was declared a Monumento Histórico-Artístico de carácter nacional (a former Spanish heritage designation, predecessor of the BIC) in 1976 and today holds the status of a Bien de Interés Cultural (Spain's highest level of heritage protection).

Photo: Adercilla (CC BY-SA 3.0)

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