Fundación Casa Ducal de Medinaceli

Hospital de San Juan Bautista

Hospital de San Juan Bautista

"...is one of the aptest and most excellent buildings there is in Europe, and one of the most compliant with the rules and observations of true Architecture; [.] so say the foreigners who come to see it as one of the wonders of the World ". Nicolás de Vergara the younger (1603).

The "first totally classical building in Castile", also known as the Hospital Tavera or Hospital de Afuera on account of its location outside the city walls opposite the Bisagra gate, was designed in the 16th century for a dual purpose: as a hospital for "those afflicted with different illnesses" and as the pantheon of its founder, Cardinal Juan Pardo Tavera. Its construction, begun in 1540, ushered in a programme of renewal in architecture and town planning which the circle of humanists surrounding Emperor Charles V devised in order to adapt Toledo's image to its role as the imperial capital.

 

Discover the Hospital

Llamador de la Puerta del Hospital de San juan Bautista, Tavera o de Afuera

Learn about the key people

Chronico del Cardenal Tavera. Pedro Salazar de Mendoza,1603

For over three-quarters of a century, under the aegis of the Hospital's founder and the Marquises of Malagón, its successive patrons, the artistic avant-garde of the period took part in building and decorating this monument: Covarrubias, Alonso Berruguete, Nicolás de Vergara and El Greco, among others.

Planning your visit

Planifique su visita al Hospital de San juan Bautista, Tavera o de Afuera

Find out about opening hours, admission charges and the fastest way of getting to this monument, which is open to the public every day of the week and is located opposite the Bisagra gate, very close to the AVE (high-speed train) station and only a ten-minute walk from the centre of the historic part of Toledo, the Plaza de Zocodover.

Visit it privately

Eventos y recepciones en en Hospital de San Juan Bautista, Tavera o de Afuera

In addition to arranging private visits to this monument, located little more than 30 minutes from Madrid, you can host various kinds of events in its superb, spacious Renaissance courtyards and other areas adapted to this purpose. By doing so you will furthermore contribute to its conservation and dissemination.