Andalucía - Discover Spain: Experience the Best of Spain - page 556

Isabella and Ferdinand commissioned this elaborate Isabelline-Gothic-style mauso-
leum.
The monarchs lie in simple lead coffins in the crypt beneath their marble monu-
ments in the chancel, which is enclosed by a stunning gilded wrought-iron screen
created in 1520 by Bartolomé de Jaén. The sacristy contains a small but impressive
museum with Ferdinand's sword and Isabella's sceptre, silver crown and personal
art collection, which is mainly Flemish but also includes Sandro Botticelli's Prayer in
the Garden of Olives .

ALBAYZÍN
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Neighbourhood

On the hill facing the Alhambra across the Darro valley, Granada's old Muslim
quarter, the Albayzín, is an open-air museum in which you can lose yourself for a
whole morning. The cobblestone streets are lined with gorgeous cármen es (large
mansions with walled gardens, from the Arabic karm for garden).

HAMMAMS DE AL-ANDALUS
( 902 33 33 34; www.granada.hammamspain.com ; Calle Santa Ana 16; bath/bath &
massage €21/30) A long way from the back-slapping, skin-stretching hammams of
Fez and Marrakech, Granada's best bathhouse nonetheless feels a shade more
exotic than your stress-absorbing shopping-mall spa back home. Advance reserva-
tions and bathing costumes are mandatory.

Hammam

MONASTERIO DE SAN JERÓNIMO
(Calle Rector López Argueta 9; admission €3.50; 10am-2pm & 4-7.30pm Apr-Oct)
This 16th-century monastery, 500m west of the cathedral, is the burial place of El
Gran Capitán (the Great Captain), Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, the military
right-hand man of the Catholic Monarchs. It's a treat for fans of Gothic and Renais-
sance architecture and stone carving. The formal gardens are as beautiful in winter
as in summer.

Monastery

Festivals & Events

Semana Santa
This and the Feria de Corpus Christi are the big two. Benches are set up in Plaza
del Carmen to view the Semana Santa processions.

Holy Week