Parador de Almagro

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 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.