Centre del Carme
Former monastery founded in 1281 with Gothic and 16th-century cloisters, now a free contemporary culture centre.
- Opening hours
- Tue-Sun, closed Mon; closed 25 Dec, 1 Jan, 6 Jan
- Where
-
C/ Museo, 2, 46003 València
Valencia
See it on the map ↗ Get directions ↗
What you will see
The building is the former Royal Monastery of Our Lady of Carmen, established in 1281 in the Roteros neighbourhood, then outside the Arab walls. In 1356 the new city wall enclosed it.
From the medieval convent, with elements from the 14th and 15th centuries, the refectory, chapter house, dormitory, Gothic cloister and original church survive. To these are added the Renaissance cloister from the 16th century and the interior renovation of the church from the first half of the 17th century.
After the Mendizábal disentailment (1835–1837), from 1848 the building housed the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Carlos and the Schools of Fine Arts and Arts and Crafts, until 1986. Its rooms held until after the Spanish Civil War the pieces that now form the city's fine arts museum; the new wing of that museum opened in 1924. It was declared a National Historic-Artistic Monument in 1983 and underwent phased restoration between 1989 and 2011.
Since 2017 it has functioned as a contemporary culture centre and is the seat of the Consortium of Museums of the Valencian Community.
Cost
Entry is free.
Opening hours
Open Tuesday to Sunday, closed Mondays, 25 December, and 1 and 6 January. Check the day's hours on the official website before you go.
How to get there
It is on calle Museo, 2 (46003 Valencia). EMT bus lines 5, 28 and 95 serve it, and the official website also lists metro line 3.
Worth a visit if…
…you want to see a Gothic cloister and a Renaissance cloister in one convent founded in 1281, free of charge, and get a glimpse of what is being done in contemporary art.
