Cuarto Real de Santo Domingo

About

The Cuarto Real de Santo Domingo is a former Nasrid palace and convent in Granada, Spain. It is located in the Realejo quarter of the city.

The original construction of the palace is believed to date from the reign of Muhammad II (ruled 1273–1302) and a recent dendrochronological study has dated the wooden ceiling to after 1283. This makes it one of the earliest surviving palace structures built by the Nasrid dynasty. It was originally known as the Dar al-Manjara al-Kubra ("House of the Great Wooden Wheel") or Jannat al-Manjara al-Kubra ("Garden of the Great Wooden Wheel"). Located on the edge of the city walls, it was used as a royal country estate residence by the Nasrid dynasty, probably for short visits. Its style shows similarities to later Nasrid buildings and to other buildings built under the Zayyanids and Marinids in North Africa in the same period, suggesting that the same craftsmen may have worked for different patrons across the region. After the conquest of Granada by the Catholic Monarchs in 1492, the palace became part of the Dominican convent of Santa Cruz and the main hall became known as the Royal Hall of Santo Domingo (Cuarto Real de Santo Domingo)...