Other Buildings of the Alhambra Palace
The Alhambra complex houses some other impressive buildings of a later date
that were built after the Arabs were defeated and expelled from the region by
the incoming Christian rulers.
Carlos V's Palace
The massive bulk of the Renaissance-style Carlos V's Palace stands in stark
contrast to the delicate Moorish Royal Palaces next door. It has two museums
worth visiting either before or after the rest of the Alhambra complex. The
ground floor Alhambra Museum displays a wonderful collection of furniture,
paintings, ceramics and coins from the Nasrid period. The Fine Art Museum
upstairs contains some excellent religious paintings and sculpture from the 16th
and 17th centuries along with some of David Roberts' 19th-century watercolours.
The palace itself dates from a later period than the neighbouring Moorish
palaces. It was built by Pedro Machuca, a former pupil of Michelangelo, for
Emperor Carlos V in 1527. The central courtyard now acts as an atmospheric venue
for orchestras and theatre companies during the International Music and Dance
Festival.
The San Francisco Parador
This was once a mosque, then a monastery and is now a wonderful four-star
hotel.
The Santa María Church
Santa María Church.
This early 17th-century church was built on top of a mosque in the Alhambra
complex. It's worth a visit to see Alonso Mena's sculptures of Santa Úrsula,
Santa Susana and el Cristo en la Cruz (Christ on the Cross), and the altarpiece,
which is strongly influenced by Alonso Cano's work.
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