We have been to Granada several times but once you have visited the Alhambra (and I was lucky enough to do so on a quiet day in January) you can plunge into the heart of this fascinating city and explore the hidden places.
This is the Monasterio de San Jerónimo which is adjacent to a modern hospital but retains an atmosphere of peace and calm which excludes the clatter of a busy city.
After you have waited in a cool loggia for the door to open you can wander around the outer cloister and visit the church. The division between past and present seems very thin because there is so little evidence of modern conveniences and everything gleams with the patina of age and use.
The decoration in the church is awe-inspiring in scale, a great statement of power and wealth. I wondered what it would be like filled with music and decided you would need a lot of singing nuns to fill that vast space.
In the end we left, glad to return to the bustle and warmth of Granada but taking with us a memory of the orange-blossom scented silence.
Orange blossom scented silence sounds perfect.
ReplyDeleteIt was delicious. The nuns make an orange preserve which they sell to visitors along with some traditional biscuits.
Deletethe church I would love to have filled with music.
ReplyDeleteA service, or a concert.
Something grand - a Requiem, I think.
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