This museum is as important as the Prado in terms of sculpture, and houses among its coffered-ceiling rooms one of the greatest treasures in the history of universal art. Unlike in the rest of Europe, most Spanish Baroque sculpture combined woodcarvings and paint, a technique with which artists created works of extreme naturalism and overwhelming beauty.
The extraordinary collection at the National Sculpture Museum is one-of-a-kind, and the masterpieces by Juan de Juni, Gregorio Fernández, Alonso Cano, Francisco Salzillo and Pedro de Mena convey a spirituality that as sensual as it is raw, characteristic of Spain’s Golden Age.
Enclosed within impressive medieval walls, its historic quarter is home to palaces, temples, convents and residences, the result of a history shaped by the cultures that lived there together: the Jewish, Muslim and Christian communities left their mark, and all three are a living part of our cultural legacy.
Ávila is also a mystic, spiritual city. All roads lead to Saint Teresa, Doctor of the Catholic Church. We can follow her journey, from the house where she was born to the place where she was buried, including the convents where she was hidden away early in life and those she founded after creating the Order of the Discalced Carmelites.
The dazzling artistry of the castillian images, together with intense mass participation, makes this nationwide celebration an extremely important cultural event.