CONVENT OF SAN ESTEBAN

The Dominicans arrived in Salamanca around 1225. Their first convent was outside the city walls, in the Church of San Juan el Blanco, located in the Tormes river plain. Frequent floods destroyed that convent. They then received a donation, from the bishop of the time, of a small Romanesque temple dedicated to San Esteban. On the plot occupied by the parish church of San Esteban, they began building the primitive Gothic convent from 1256, later demolished to construct the current one, which was started in 1524 on the initiative of Cardinal Fray Juan Álvarez de Toledo, son of the II Duke of Alba and uncle of the III Duke of Alba, who was a friar of this convent.

Christopher Columbus came to this convent seeking support for his voyages, where he was hosted between 1486 and 1487. His great benefactor was the prior of the convent, Fray Diego de Deza, confessor to Queen Isabella.

The Convent of San Esteban was, from its origin, an important center for the study and teaching of Theology. It was a first-rate cultural hub with figures of the stature of Domingo de Soto or Francisco de Vitoria, initiator of the School of Salamanca, father of International Law, and defender of the rights of indigenous Americans. Spiritual aid was provided here to Saint Teresa of Ávila. It is said that the Saint confessed in one of the confessionals of the cloister. Saint Ignatius of Loyola spent five days living with the friars of the convent who examined him on his doctrine. When he left the convent, he was taken to the bishopric's prison. The fact that he was not allowed to preach until he had completed his theology studies led him to leave the city and go to study in Paris.

During the War of Independence, it was occupied by the French, who plundered all its valuable objects and used the convent as barracks and a hospital. The successive disentailments and the dissolution of the Dominican order in 1835 led to its abandonment and the transfer of ownership to the Bishopric, which decided to establish the parish of San Pablo in the church, with the rest of the convent converted into cavalry barracks and infirmary. The convent's furniture and library were looted. The progressive deterioration seemed unstoppable until the Monuments Commission took charge of the complex, and in 1865, it converted the cloister into the Provincial Museum of Fine Arts.

Since 1892, it has once again functioned as a convent of the Order of Preachers. Currently, there is a community of monks dedicated to study, preaching, and the teaching of Theology. It has a Faculty of Theology and a publishing house focused on Dominican themes and Christian humanism.

On the tour of the convent, the following areas can be visited:

1. Sculpture of Francisco de Vitoria Before reaching the Convent of San Esteban, in the Plaza del Concilio de Trento, we see the sculpture that Salamanca dedicated to Francisco de Vitoria, a precursor of Human Rights and International Law. According to an ancient tradition, when gout prevented him from walking to the university, his students carried him on a stretcher to the classrooms, driven by admiration and the desire to continue learning from their theology master.

2. Bridge over the Santo Domingo Stream Access to the convent is gained by crossing a small single-arched bridge that spans the Santo Domingo Stream. Built of Villamayor stone at the initiative of Domingo de Soto after his participation in the Council of Trent, this bridge is not only a functional element but also a symbolic threshold between the city and the conventual space.

From the esplanade that opens before the church, one of the most striking panoramic views of the complex is obtained. The temple's facade strongly dominates the space, and daylight transforms its appearance throughout the hours, achieving an especially striking effect at sunset, when the stone is tinged with golden, ocher, and reddish tones.

3. The Facade The convent's facade, designed by Juan de Álava and executed between 1524 and 1610, constitutes one of the peak works of Spanish Plateresque style. Its conception responds to the idea of a large monumental altarpiece in stone, where architecture and sculpture are integrated into a composition of extraordinary complexity

It is organized like a large altarpiece, divided into sections and tiers. It is sheltered by an enormous arch whose intrados is decorated with artichokes and coffers. In the spandrels of the arch, two large coats of arms of Cardinal Álvarez de Toledo, the patron of the work, are displayed.

The iconographic program that runs through it is of great symbolic richness. It combines biblical scenes, allegorical representations, and figures linked to the Order of Preachers. The entire complex is conceived as an authentic “lesson in theology in stone,” intended for both contemplation and teaching.

At the center stands out the relief of the Martyrdom of Saint Stephen, which visually articulates the entire facade. Around it are distributed Dominican saints and relevant figures from the Christian tradition. In the lower level appear, among others, Saint Dominic of Guzmán, Saint Francis of Assisi, Saint Hyacinth of Poland, and Saint Catherine of Siena.

In the upper tiers, figures such as Saint Thomas Aquinas, Saint Andrew, Saint John the Evangelist, and Saint Peter Martyr of Verona are represented. The complex is crowned with a Calvary flanked by Saint Peter and Saint Paul, while at the ends are located Popes Gregory the Great and Leo the Great, emphasizing the doctrinal authority of the Church.

4. Portico leading to the Porter's Lodge The portico, built by Juan de Ribero between 1590 and 1592, is composed of nine semicircular arches that follow the model of Italian Renaissance loggias and contrast, by their classicism, with the exuberant Plateresque decoration of the facade. In the medallions of the spandrels, saints of the Order of Preachers are represented. The upper floor, located above the porter's lodge, which was the old library, today houses the museum of sacred art.

5. The Porter's Lodge In the vault of the porter's lodge corridor, five canvases represent some of the most relevant figures in the history of the convent: Francisco de Vitoria, Melchor Cano, Diego de Deza, Cardinal Juan Álvarez de Toledo, and Domingo de Soto.

These personalities reflect the importance of the convent as a first-rate intellectual center, closely linked to the University of Salamanca and the development of theological, legal, and philosophical thought in the Modern Age.

6. Cloister of the Kings (or of Processions It was built over the space occupied by the 14th-century cloister, of which several walled-up doors can still be seen in the walls. It was built by the Dominican architect Fray Martín de Santiago. It is the main cloister, called "of processions" or "of the Kings". It has two superimposed galleries, the lower one with twenty windows and the upper one with forty.

On the ground floor, Gothic and Renaissance elements are mixed. The semicircular Renaissance arches are divided by small columns in the manner of Gothic cloisters. The vaults feature a complex system of star-shaped ribs with polychrome keystones. In the four corners of the cloister, there are niches representing the Annunciation, the Nativity, the Adoration of the Magi, and the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple. Medallions, with busts and names of Old Testament prophets, adorn the inner face of the pillars supporting the vaults.

Each of the doors opening to the cloister has a stone-carved image of the most important saints of the Order above it. The two doors open in the south wing give access to the Salón de Profundis, one of the oldest spaces in the convent, where the community prayed for the souls of the deceased when going to and from the refectory. From here, one passes to the Claustro de los Aljibes and the old infirmary. This part of the convent is usually closed to tourists.

In the east wing of the cloister, two doors give access to the Old Chapter House (15th century) and the New Chapter House (17th century).

• The Old Chapter House is one of the oldest dependencies of the convent. It served as a cemetery for the most illustrious sons of the community, hence it houses the remains of Francisco de Vitoria and Domingo de Soto. In the Old Chapter House, the community of Dominican friars made decisions that marked the course of humanity, such as supporting Christopher Columbus or participating in the evangelization of America. Within its walls, Human Rights and International Law were conceived.

• The New Chapter House was inaugurated in 1667. It was financed by Fray Íñigo de Brizuela, Bishop of Segovia. The portal has a niche with the figure of Saint Stephen. It is already of Mannerist style, and portraits of the convent's favorite sons hang from its walls. It is currently used as a conference room.

The last door of this gallery gives access to the Soto Staircase.

In the north wing of the lower cloister, bordering the church, five small doors open, corresponding to as many confessionals. Each of them has a small space for the confessor and a grated window open to the chapels on the epistle side of the church. According to an ancient tradition, Saint Teresa of Jesus confessed in one of them.

7. The Soto Staircase In the northeast corner of the cloister, the door opening to the Soto Staircase, which connects the lower and upper cloisters, is found. It dates from 1553 and was funded by Domingo de Soto upon his return from the Council of Trent. It is a cantilevered staircase, without supports to hold its heavy granite steps. It was built by the architect Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón and was considered a marvel of the architecture of its time, to the point that in the 18th century it was copied in some of the most important buildings of Salamanca's Baroque style.

8. The Sacristy The sacristy, with access from the stairwell, is the work of architects Alonso Sardiña and Juan Moreno, begun in 1627 and sponsored by Fray Pedro de Herrera Suárez, professor at the University of Salamanca, prior of the convent, and bishop of several Spanish cities.

Its large dimensions and classicist decoration based on fluted pilasters stand out. The large drawer units are embedded in the arches that open in the walls. Liturgical ornaments are displayed in several showcases. The walls of the head and foot resemble triumphal arches, with the pediment broken to house a niche with the image of the Virgin, at the head, and of Saint Dominic at the foot, above the door. On the left wall, within an arcosolium, is the praying sculpture of the founder. On the opposite wall, a niche houses the urn with his remains.

7.- Bonal Chapel At the head of this small chapel, an antechamber to the church, is the marble cenotaph dedicated to Don Fernando Álvarez de Toledo, III Duke of Alba. It was made in 1984 by Fernando Chueca Goitia. Under an arch, it houses the bust of the Great Duke, a copy of the one made by Pompeo Leoni.

8.- The Church The patron of the current church of San Esteban was Cardinal Juan Álvarez de Toledo, son of the II Duke of Alba and uncle of the III Duke of Alba, who had been a friar in this convent. The church was designed by the architect Juan de Álava. Its construction began in 1524 under the direction of said architect, to be later continued by Fray Martín de Santiago, Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón, and Juan de Ribero, being consecrated in 1610. It is a Latin cross plan church, with a single nave 87 m long and chapels open between the buttresses. Despite the late dates in which its construction began, its style, in general terms, is late-Gothic. The nave features very flat ribbed vaults, a reflection of late Gothic. The keystones are decorated with rosettes of Plateresque taste. Above the transept rises the dome built by Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón, already in Renaissance style. It displays beautiful polychrome keystones decorated with images of saints, highlighting the central keystone representing the Coronation of the Virgin. The large dimensions of the chancel and the choir located at the foot and supported by a large ogee arch are striking.

The chancel, elevated above the rest of the church, is presided over by the magnificent altarpiece made at the end of the 17th century by José de Churriguera, considered one of the most important altarpieces of the late Spanish Baroque. It stands on a raised plinth in which two side doors open, giving access to the old crypt. The central body is articulated with six large Solomonic columns of giant order, decorated with vine shoots and leaves, symbols of the Eucharist. In the side sections, two niches open with sculptures of Saint Dominic of Guzmán, on the Epistle side, and Saint Francis of Assisi, on the Gospel side. The center of the altarpiece is presided over by the large expositor of the Blessed Sacrament. The tabernacle resembles a small temple, with a dome and Solomonic columns. In the center of the attic, a large painting, made by Claudio Coello, represents the Stoning of Saint Stephen. The transept altarpieces are dedicated to Saint Dominic of Guzmán, on the Gospel side, and Saint Thomas Aquinas, on the Epistle side.

In the Gospel transept, the Chapel of the Rosary opens, like a triumphal arch. It has a Baroque altarpiece made by José de Churriguera, with the image of the Virgin of the Rosary gifted by Pope Pius V in the 16th century. Above the arch is a mural painting by Antonio Villamayor representing the Coronation of the Virgin. In the south transept is the exit door to the cloister, dedicated to Saint Joseph, with delicate grotesque decoration.

9.- Upper Cloister The upper cloister is already fully Renaissance, with semicircular arches resting on Plateresque pilasters and capitals, medallions in the spandrels, and a simple wooden roof. In the northwest corner of the northern gallery, two doors give access to the choir and the old library, which today houses the museum.

10.- The Choir Access to the choir from the cloister is through a beautiful and original Plateresque door presided over by the coat of arms of Fray Juan Álvarez de Toledo. Located at the foot of the temple, it stands on three sections of flattened vaults. The first thing that draws attention is the spectacular view of the church nave, with the altarpiece by José de Churriguera presiding over the high altar. The walnut choir stalls were designed by Alonso Balbás in the mid-17th century. Its ornamentation, already Mannerist, is reduced to geometric designs. In the prior's chair there is a niche with the image of Saint Dominic, and above it, a painting of the Virgin and Child, a copy of Rubens' original which is in the museum. A gigantic fresco, made in 1705 by Antonio Palomino, covers the end wall of the choir. It represents, on two planes, the Church Militant and the Church Triumphant.

11.- Museum The Museum of Sacred Art of the Convent of San Esteban, in Salamanca, is a space dedicated to the conservation and exhibition of pieces linked to the religious history of the convent and the Dominican order. It is integrated into the monumental complex itself and allows visitors to approach the artistic and spiritual heritage accumulated over the centuries.

Its rooms exhibit works of goldsmithing, painting, sculpture, and liturgical objects that reflect the richness of sacred art between the Renaissance and the Baroque. The museum helps to contextualize conventual life and the historical importance of San Esteban as one of Salamanca's great religious and intellectual centers.

12.- Pharmacy The Dominican convent of San Esteban, in Salamanca, has housed since December 2014 a museum-room dedicated to the old apothecary of Isidro Puerto González, a pharmacist who practiced in La Alberca (Salamanca). The space recreates a 19th-century pharmacy and gathers old prescription books, glass bottles, scales, and more than 300 products, displayed in the upper area of the convent, next to the choir and the museum.

The collection is completed with materials from Isidro Puerto's pharmacy, as well as pieces acquired from Ángel Sánchez Villanueva and the graduate Gallego de Cebreros (Ávila). Alongside this collection, some of the few preserved original pieces from the old apothecary of the San Esteban convent itself are also shown, which disappeared after Mendizábal's disentailment in 1835. Its origins date back to the beginning of the 16th century, when the presence of the convent's first apothecary, Antonio Torres, was documented in 1506.

Currently, the Convent of San Esteban features two permanent exhibitions that allow visitors to delve into its artistic heritage as well as its historical and missionary dimension.

On one hand, the Museum of Sacred Art, located in what was once the old library, above the porter's lodge, brings together a valuable collection of religious works. The first room highlights painting, with pieces such as a Virgin and Child attributed to Rubens.

In the second room, Romanesque wooden carvings from the Dominican convent of Peña de Francia can be seen. The collection is completed with a rich and varied assortment that includes the Bible that Pope Luna gifted to Saint Vincent Ferrer, small oil paintings on copper, ivory sculptures brought from the Philippines through the missions, as well as manuscripts and two 16th-century choral books.

The museum also preserves an important collection of liturgical ornaments and goldsmith pieces spanning from the 13th to the 17th centuries, along with Baroque images, reliquaries, and valuable donations from kings and nobles who favored the convent over time. Liturgical vestments such as chasubles, copes, and dalmatics are also exhibited, helping to understand the richness of conventual religious life.

On the other hand, the upper cloister hosts an exhibition dedicated to the evangelizing work of the Dominicans of San Esteban in America. Throughout its galleries, quotes from Francisco de Vitoria introduce visitors to the ideas that gave rise to the reflection on the rights of indigenous peoples. The exhibition is completed with pre-Columbian ceramics and objects, photographs, and books, illustrating both the historical work and the current presence of the Dominicans in the American continent.