THE MUSEUM

On 28th August 1591 Fray John of the Cross arrived to the monastery of Úbeda to “cure a slight bout of fever”. There he would stay until he dies in a poor little cell. On 13th December Fray John went “to sing matins in heaven” at midnight —that is finally encountering the Beloved. The verse he wrote turned true: “tear through the veil of this sweet encounter”.

Since then the monastery of Úbeda turned into a sort of lighthouse that lights us with the spirituality of this mystic Discalced Carmelite. The religious men in this community have always opened their doors to everyone interested in the life and work of Fray John. In 1978 the St John of the Cross Museum was finally opened to the public. Several relics and other objects related to the saint were gathered, so that the visitor could discover the saint’s life and doctrine. The Museum has also been enriched with a remarkable library specialised in St John of the Cross and Spirituality.

In 2000, during the Great Jubilee, the Museum was remodelled —the number of works was increased thanks to those coming from the monasteries of the “Santo Ángel Custodio” province in Andalusia. The Museum offers now twelve rooms where the visitor can get to meet this global figure of both thinking and Christian spirituality.