MONASTERIO DE SANTA MARÍA DE LAS CUEVAS
Opening Hours & Admission
Before the monastery existed, this area on the right bank of the Guadalquivir was already associated with pottery. The abundance of clay encouraged the presence of kilns, including during the Almohad period.
According to the traditional history of the site, an image of the Virgin was discovered in one of the cavities created by clay extraction. A small sanctuary developed around the image and was initially associated with Franciscan religious life.
At the end of the 14th century, Archbishop Gonzalo de Mena promoted the establishment of a Carthusian monastery here. Official historical sources variously date the foundation to 1399 or 1400.
1399–1400
Gonzalo de Mena founded the Carthusian community of Santa María de las Cuevas and provided land for the new monastery.
More Than 400 Years
The Carthusian monks remained associated with the monastery until the 19th-century confiscation and suppression of religious communities.
The monastery developed continuously over the following centuries, creating a complex network of chapels, cloisters, cells, gardens, refectory, chapter house, sacristy and service areas.
One of the most important surviving spaces is the 15th-century Gothic church, whose ribbed vaults preserve the austere character associated with Carthusian spirituality. Its façade includes a remarkable 16th-century tiled rose window.
Other monastic spaces include the Claustrillo, the Claustro de los Muertos, the refectory, chapter house, sacristy and several chapels.
The refectory was enlarged and redecorated in 1588 and preserves an important wooden ceiling and historic ceramic panels. The sacristy retains Baroque plasterwork that once framed paintings by Francisco de Zurbarán, several of which are now preserved in the Museo de Bellas Artes de Sevilla.
Gothic Church
The main church dates principally from the 15th century and retains its characteristic ribbed vaulting.
18th-Century Entrance
Ambrosio de Figueroa participated in major 18th-century transformations, including the monumental entrance and the Capilla de Afuera.
The Monastery of Santa María de las Cuevas has an important connection with Christopher Columbus. The navigator visited the monastery frequently and maintained a close relationship with the Carthusian community.
According to the CAAC's historical documentation, Columbus used the monastery's guest house while preparing his second voyage to the Americas.
After his death, his remains were transferred to La Cartuja and remained here for approximately three decades before being moved again.
The 19th century completely transformed La Cartuja. During the French occupation of Seville in 1810, the monks were expelled and the monastery was used as a military barracks. They returned after the withdrawal of the French.
Their return was temporary. The confiscation of ecclesiastical property under Mendizábal led to the definitive departure of the Carthusian community in the 1830s.
The English businessman Charles Pickman subsequently acquired the complex and in 1841 established the famous La Cartuja de Sevilla pottery factory.
1841
Pickman began producing fine earthenware using industrial processes influenced by British ceramic manufacturing.
Until 1982
Industrial production continued inside the former monastery for more than 140 years.
The factory introduced kilns, chimneys, workshops and warehouses into the former monastic complex. Rather than removing all traces of this industrial period, later restorations deliberately preserved key elements of it.
After the pottery factory ceased operating in 1982, the future of the enormous historic complex entered another decisive phase.
The Junta de Andalucía began extensive restoration and archaeological work in 1986. The project sought to recover the surviving monastic architecture while also preserving significant traces of the industrial period.
In preparation for the Universal Exposition of Seville in 1992, Santa María de las Cuevas was comprehensively rehabilitated and adapted for institutional and cultural uses.
The Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporáneo (CAAC) was created in February 1990 to promote research, conservation and dissemination of contemporary art.
In 1997, the former Monastery of Santa María de las Cuevas became its permanent headquarters. The change also brought together the collections of the CAAC, the former Museum of Contemporary Art of Seville and the monumental complex itself.
Historic Monument
Visitors can explore the surviving monastery, gardens, courtyards and industrial heritage as part of the experience.
Contemporary Art
The CAAC presents its collection alongside changing temporary exhibitions by Andalusian, Spanish and international artists.
Exhibition spaces are deliberately distributed through historic rooms such as the church, refectory, chapels and cloisters. Contemporary artworks therefore appear in direct dialogue with architecture created for completely different purposes centuries earlier.
The CAAC also organizes educational programmes, lectures, performances, dance, cinema and concerts, making La Cartuja an active cultural centre rather than simply a historic monument.
Why Visit the Monastery of La Cartuja?
Santa María de las Cuevas is one of the most unusual historic sites in Seville. Few monuments allow visitors to move so clearly between medieval religious life, Christopher Columbus, 19th-century industrialization and contemporary culture.
Its Gothic church, monastic rooms, gardens, Pickman kilns and changing CAAC exhibitions make La Cartuja especially rewarding for visitors who want to discover a side of Seville beyond the traditional Cathedral–Alcázar itinerary.
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