What is the multimedia visit of the San Francisco Museum (Medina Rioseco) like?

When you arrive to Medina of Rioseco during a car route through the province of Valladolid, visit the Benavente Chapel, considered the Sistine Chapel of Castilian art, appears as the greatest artistic attraction of the walk through this historic Castilian town.

However, without detracting from the artistic beauty of said chapel in the central church of Santa Maria, I must admit that in my case I was captivated by the visit of another place that was once a temple, the church of the old convent of San Francisco.

With a completely austere façade, with almost no element that stands out on the wall, and a very elegant Elizabethan style interior, in reality this building was a church until the time of the Disentailment now houses the San Francisco museum.

And the great attraction of this museum is that through a multimedia presentation you can relive and deepen the history of Medina de Rioseco and Admirals of Castile.

Maybe you don't know that Medina of Rioseco is known as the City of the Admirals of Castile, a title created by Ferdinand III the Saint in the 1705rd century, which was used by successive nobles until XNUMX.

It was one of them, Fadrique Enriquez de Velasco, cousin of King Ferdinand the Catholic , who in 1491 founded the Convent of San Francisco, whose main chapel of the church became the family pantheon when he was buried with his wife Ana de Cabrera.

Run by Franciscan monks throughout its history, at the time of War of independence It was used as a barracks by the Napoleonic troops, and after the aforementioned Disentailment In 1836, the convent was completely abandoned.

What to see in the San Francisco museum

At present, the former Convent of San Francisco is managed by the town hall of Medina de Rioseco, which in 2007 became the San Francisco museum.

In it you can see numerous works of art, such as altarpieces, tombs, paintings, sculptures and metalwork, ivory and textiles.

But it is not a normal museum, since the visits begin with a multimedia presentation of 45 minutes duration.

During it, virtually, the characters of the aforementioned Admiral Fadrique Enriquez and a Franciscan monk takes you through various rooms of the church and the old convent.

During the tour you learn various aspects of the history of the convent and the Admirals of Castile, while you discover the various works of art contained in the building, now converted into a museum.

After visiting the large nave of the old church, now shown as an open space, you will be able to see the large 18th century altarpiece dedicated to Our Lady of Hope.

Under the dome of the transept. and in front of the altarpiece, the bronze sculptures in a praying position of Ana de Cabrera and his sister-in-law Isabel de Cabrera.

You will also see a 3D projection with a reconstruction of the convent and its cloisters, which will allow you to see the importance it had in its time.

On both sides of the altarpiece you find two stone altars made in 1537 on which two sculptural groups in polychrome clay are located, which represent a masterpiece of the Renaissance artist. Juan de Juni.

These sculptural groups are dedicated to Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian and Saint Jerome penitent.

On your tour of the museum guided by the multimedia presentation, in which it was Villasante chapel You will see a collection of silverware pieces in which an imposing Custody of Corpus Christi of 1554.

In short, a visit that acquires a special interest due to its multimedia form, which confirms that seeing museums does not have to be boring.

San Francisco museum visit schedules

The Visiting hours of the San Francisco de Medina de Rioseco museum They are, in summer, from Tuesday to Sunday, at 11, 12, 13, 17, 18 and 19 p.m. Here you can check schedules at other times of the year.

The ticket prices They are 3 euros for the general one, and 2 euros for the reduced one.

Keep in mind that the tourist office of Medina de Rioseco offers a joint entry which for 10 euros allows you to take guided tours of four ancient monuments City of Admirals, and take a one-hour ride on the boat Antonio de Ulloa by Castile Canal.

Photos San Francisco museum

Here you have more photos of the museum of the old convent of San Francisco, in Medina de Rioseco.