Cuarto Real de Santo Domingo

 

cuarto real de santo domingo - granada

Cuarto Real de Santo Domingo has great historic and artistic interest, for it is a direct predecessor of the Nasrid architectural and decorative motifs that make the palaces of the Alhambra so unique.

Cuarto Real was built during the reign of Muhammad II (1273-1302). The complex was originally thought out to be both palace and almunia (orchard), a concept we can also find in Alcazar del Genil (a prominent Islamic country-house in Granada) and the Generalife in the Alhambra.

It was used by Nasrid rulers of the Emirate of Granada in Al-Andalus as an intimate place for rest until Aixa, the mother of Boabdil (the last sultan of Al-Andalus), handed it to the Catholic Queen Isabel.

Isabel La Católica gave it to the Dominican Order Monks, thus its name and subsequent transformations. Nevertheless, its original Qubba has been well preserved and we can visit nowadays this astonishing hall featured by its rich wall decorations and wooden dome. It was built within one fortified tower of the wall that surrounded the Alfareros or Potters suburb at that time. This is another inherent characteristic of the Islamic art of the Alhambra, where palace rooms were also built within fortified towers, creating intimate spaces with astonishing views of Granada city.