CONVENTO de SAN BENITO de ALCÁNTARA (Cáceres)

On April 9, 2026, the History and Archaeology team returned to the town of Alcántara (Cáceres) after a ten-year hiatus to rediscover the history of the Convent of San Benito. New features implemented by the Iberdrola Foundation include guided tours led by Adrián Morcillo and a ban on photographing or filming the display of the plans for the Roman Bridge of Alcántara. History: The Order of San Julián del Pereiro, founded in 1176 in Portugal, became known as the Military Order of Alcántara in 1218. The Order played a significant role in the Reconquista, a period in which it annexed vast territories, granting it a prominent economic and military position. At the beginning of the 16th century, a Royal Privilege was granted for the construction of the new building that would become the headquarters and headquarters of the Order of Alcántara. Construction began during the reign of the Catholic Monarchs and lasted from 1505 to 1574. Several architects oversaw the project, including Pedro de Larrea, who oversaw the late Gothic construction of the cloister and some surrounding buildings. Pedro de Ybarra, working in the second half of the 16th century in the Plateresque style, designed the church and the guesthouse. On the eastern façade is the Gallery of Charles V, which belonged to the convent's guesthouse. Its structure is divided into three floors and is flanked by two cylindrical towers, one bearing the coat of arms of Charles V and the other that of Philip II. The unfinished church, dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, is Renaissance in design. It consists of three naves with ribbed vaults. Two coats of arms of Charles V adorn the central nave, while the side aisles correspond to the chapels of the Commanders Diego de Santillán and Nicolás de Ovando. In the transept, on one side, is the Chapel of the Commander of Piedrabuena, Antonio Bravo de Jerez, and on the other, the sacristy with its unique spiral staircase. An auditorium was built in the space that was once the Convent's orchard, serving as the venue for the Alcántara Classical Theatre Festival. Sources: https://es.wikipedia.org/ https://www.fundacioniberdrolaespana.... https://www.alcantara.es Music (Royalty-Free): https://musopen.org/music/3750-gloria... If you enjoyed the video, please give it a "Like" and share it. Thank you very much. Don't forget to subscribe to our channel to help us in our mission to share culture and science. Your support is very important. Follow us on our website and social media for more information and other exclusive content: 🌍 Website: http://www.historiayarqueologia.com 👤 Facebook:   / historiayarqueologia   ✖ X: https://x.com/redhistoria @Threads: https://www.threads.net/historiayarqu... 📸 Instagram:   / historiayarqueologia   🦋 BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/cronicas.bsk... 🎵 TikTok:   / historiayarqueologia