The Parador de Almagro, also known as the Convento de Santa Catalina de Siena, is a four-star Parador hotel located in the town of Almagro, in the province of Ciudad Real, in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha, Spain. It was converted from the ruins of the seventeenth century Franciscan Convent of Santa Catalina. It was irretrievably damaged during the Spanish Civil War. In 1969 it was ceded to the Spanish government for conversion into a Parador. Work on the rebuilding and conversion began in 1972. The architects copied the architectural style of the original building, using materials sourced locally. For hotel use the historical layout of the convent was extended into the surrounding grounds with the construction of fifty-five guest rooms, numerous hospitality areas and fourteen patios.
The Parador was inaugurated by Queen Sofía of Spain in 1979. It is one of the most popular Paradores in Castile-La Mancha, with a capacity for 106 guests. Forty years after the opening of the Parador, portraits seized by the forces of Francisco Franco during the Civil War were found to be displayed on the walls and were subsequently returned to their rightful owners.
The original building and its history
The Franciscan Convent de Santa Catalina in Almagro was built by Jerónimo de Ávila y de la Cueva in memory of his wife Catalina de Sanabria. 15,000 square metres of land had been purchased for its development outside the town walls to the southeast. Construction began in 1603 and lasted fourteen years, although it began to be lived in by Franciscan monks in 1612. The convent continued in operation for 330 years.
It was originally small, consisting of a church and two L-shaped, two-storey conventual buildings which, with the sacristy, enclosed a small cloister. The buildings were located in the northwest corner of the convent garden, much of which was orchard and all of which was enclosed by a high cob wall with tile capping.
The original architect was said to be Nicolás Vergara el Mozo. He designed the buildings in the Renaissance style of the Toledo School and built in brick, cob, stone and wood, topped with Mudéjar tiling. Different kinds of soil, sand, gypsum, lime and stone from the region of La Mancha were the basic elements.
In the 18th century the church was enlarged with two Baroque chapels, and two further conventual buildings, identical to the originals, were erected. In the 19th century another similar conventual building was added.
At the start of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 the building was severely damaged and many of the monks fled or were killed. Those in the community who remained in the convent finally left in 1942 owing to their reduced numbers. Local people made partial attempts to restore the building and used a section of it as a school.
In 1963 negotiations began between the town council of Almagro and the Spanish government with the aim of converting the building into a Parador de Turismo. On 24 April 1967 the Minister for Information and Tourism, Manuel Fraga, visited Almagro. His inspection resulted in a government grant of 6.5 million pesetas for the project, but the budget for the town council's plans for the conversion far exceeded this figure. Unable to fund the hotel project, in 1969 the town council ceded the building and the land around it to the Ministry of Information and Tourism.
Conversion to a Parador
Preparation
When it was taken over by the Ministry the convent was in a state of ruin and the few walls left standing were in a poor condition following repairs done badly since 1936. Only the church retained its original architectural structure and the damage it had suffered was not serious.
Though the convent was not ceded to the government until 1969, work on the design for a Parador began in 1967, sponsored by the town council of Almagro. The Ministry, once it gained control, appointed two architects: (1927–2007) and Ramón Melgarejo Rueda (1927–2010). In a later report on the rehabilitation, Palazuelo commented that "the first and main guideline of the project was to preserve the spirit of the convent and the lines of its architectural style both as a whole and in the smallest detail." He went on: "Without ever losing the original style or architectural characteristics from sight, and without losing the sense of harmony or conventual spirit and atmosphere, plans were drawn up to accomplish the reconversion of the convent into a new building for a new use, that of a National Parador."