Convento-Colegio Santo Domingo

The Convento-Colegio de Santo Domingo, popularly known as «the Escorial of the Levante» for its scale, is one of Orihuela's most monumental buildings. Construction began in 1553, under the direction of Juan Inglés, commissioned by Archbishop Fernando de Loazes, a year after a papal bull from Julius III had turned the college into a pontifical institution.

From convent to university

In 1569, a further bull, this time from Pius V, raised the college to the status of an Estudio General or University, first as a pontifical university and, from 1646, as a royal one. For nearly three centuries the building combined its role as a convent of the Dominican order with that of a university, until the university eventually ceased to function. It also housed what's considered Spain's first public library, founded in the 16th century and known today as the Biblioteca Fernando de Loazes.

The complex mixes Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo elements, with cloisters from different periods framing an elaborately decorated church. Both the building and its historical significance led to it being declared a national artistic monument. The site remains linked to education today, home to a school.

The Convento de Santo Domingo stands close to other landmarks in Orihuela's historic centre, including the cathedral, the Castillo-Alcazaba and the Casa-Museo de Miguel Hernández, making it easy to combine with the rest of the city's heritage.