The Halls of San Jerónimo

By Katherine Leichty

We then met our tour guide in the lobby and progressed with the walk through Granada’s city center and wound our way towards the Monastery of San Jerónimo. On the way, our guide explained the Arabic origins of several names of areas we passed through. The street we’ve been staying on during our time in Granada, Calle Alhamar, is named for the founder of the Nasrid dynasty, Muhammad I ibn Nasr, who was also known as Ibn al-Ahmar “Son of the Red.” A painting featuring him in the Alhambra two days ago briefed us on the debate as to whether or not he really did have a red beard. Our Alhambra guide informed us that in paintings he may have had his beard done in darker colors for other reasons, and likely did have the famous red beard.

Upon arriving to the monastery, we first entered the larger of the two courtyards. The fragrant orange and lemon trees filled the center, and as we walked around them, our guide invited us to imagine the arches filled with vines, that used to grow there to preserve the secrecy of conversations in the courtyard. We passed through the rooms once used by the monks, including the first church, and more than the unrestored remains of artwork damaged by Napoleon’s invasion, I was surprised by the small size of the room. All the more so for what follows in the main cathedral.

In the cathedral, we learned more about the sponsor and designer of the current monastery, Maria de Manrique. Married to “el Gran Capitan,” after his fallout with the then-king of Spain and death, she went to Phillip II’s successor and received permission to build on the monastery and bury her husband there. From that point, using her own funds, she commissioned several architects and countless artisans to create the masterpiece of a cathedral. Though the monastery’s completion was overseen by her grandson and several changes were made after her death, her influence was still evident, particularly how the altar focuses far more on Mary than on Jesus, an unusual feature for churches of the time. The monastery was a stunning point of crossover to see— Nasrid tiles like those in the Alhambra decorate some of the rooms, and two of the statues at the altar were later used as models for the statues of the Catholic Monarchs we saw on Saturday.

Interior of the Cathedral of San Jeronimo Monastery, altar close up, & Nasrid tiles with the double eagle. Photographs by Katherine Leichty.

After leaving the cathedral, we made a stop to buy cookies made by the nuns currently in residence of the monastery, and after enjoying them outside, we left for the botanical gardens. On the way we passed by several buildings now in use by the University of Granada, and thanks to our experience at the School of Theology yesterday, we recognized the Jesuit sigil on the side of some of the buildings, which marked several as original to the University founded by Charles I/V in the 1500s. The garden was founded in 1815, originally for use by medical students at what is now the Faculty of Law but was then the main university building. Now the garden is more of a public garden, and includes plants from all over the world. 

My favorite fact today was a bit of linguistic history. After all, something one has to wonder is why a city is named “pomegranate.” The answer? Well, our guide also walked us through the waves of settlement of Granada. The Romans knew the area as Iliberis, and after Rome, linguistic drift from Latin saw the area and larger town become “Elvira”, while a large Jewish settlement built up on the site of the current Albaicin neighborhood. After the Umayyad conquest of Iberia, the Arabic name given to the Jewish settlement and fortress was Gharnāṭa, meaning “city of pilgrims” in the greater province of Elvira. After the city was handed over to the Castilians, they called it Granada, and thus “city of pilgrims” became “pomegranate.”