Explore Ávila

Ávila Cathedral, the Cathedral of the Saviour, was begun in the 12th century and is counted among the earliest Gothic cathedrals in Spain. It was planned as a church and fortress: its granite apse forms one of the towers of the city walls. Inside are a double ambulatory, carved choir stalls, a Renaissance high altarpiece, the cloister and a museum.

The Basilica of San Vicente is a Romanesque church begun around 1130 just outside Ávila's walls, where tradition places the burial of the martyrs Vincent, Sabina and Christeta, killed in 306. Work went on into the early 14th century. Visitors see the carved west portal, the arcaded south gallery, the sculpted cenotaph of the three saints and the crypt.

The Convento de Santa Teresa is a Discalced Carmelite church and convent built between 1629 and 1636 on the site traditionally held to be the house where Teresa of Ávila was born in 1515. Its altar faces north so that a chapel stands over the room of her birth. The church has sculptures from Gregorio Fernández's workshop; the vaulted crypt below holds a museum about the saint.

The Real Monasterio de Santo Tomás is a Dominican monastery in Ávila, built in the Gothic style between 1482 and 1493 with support from the Catholic Monarchs. Its church holds the marble tomb of their son, Prince John, carved by Domenico Fancelli. The visit includes three cloisters, the royal choir and museums of East Asian art and natural history.