After 25 years closed, on last Monday, the 11th of May, Cuarto Real de Santo Domingo of Granada opened its doors showing a cultural heritage of XIII century which is considered to be precedent to La Alhambra. The opening of the palace coincides with the inauguration of the International Poetry Festival of Granada, and this event, with the exhibition by Juan Vida named Vida en el Cuarto Real, contribute to enrich the cultural outlook of Granada.
Declared a Heritage of Cultural Interest, Cuarto Real de Santo Domingo is one of the few monuments of Granada and Andalusia that can compete with La Alhambra for its cultural wealth and decorations. Thanks to a 6 million investment by the Government, the Committee of Andalusia and the Local Government, the palace has recovered all its original splendor and, among the most precious characteristics, the ones that surely stand out are the ‘qubba’ also known as the protocol hall and the exhibition room.
Since its edification, the palace of Cuarto Real was firstly a Nasrids’ property and, after its donation to the religious order of Santo Domingo by the Catholic Kings, it was confiscated during the XIX century after the Spanish confiscation. In that moment, the palace became a property of privates and in 1990 it was acquired by the Local Government of Granada.
Cuarto Real is just one of the many historical buildings that contribute to make the Realejo, which is also the barrio in which Intituto Mediterráneo Sol is situated, the most historical barrio of all Granada.