Museum of Santa Cruz

Loved the El Greco paintings. Just amazing artist and his art. The museum is small but free. The cloister is beautiful. A little more direction from the staff or signs would be helpful.

Lovely garden, quiet, beautiful indeed. Nice courtyard with impressive architecture. Highly recommended.

When I passed by the frontier of the this anceint building, my legs took me spontanuously to take a quick look inside. Every tourist comes here must visit it.

The entrance for the time being is free. They're open until 18:00. It's a beautiful place to visit, and the exhibition was really interesting. I recommend it. There was a textile exhibition as well but i did not take any pictures. It's worth the visit.

Visiting the Santa Cruz Museum in Toledo, Spain, was an enlightening journey through the rich tapestry of history and culture. From the meticulously preserved artifacts to the splendid architecture of the museum itself, every moment spent here whisked me away to Spain's illustrious past. The exhibits are thoughtfully curated, providing insightful glimpses into various epochs, making it an educational and captivating visit. The staff deserves special mention for their friendliness and expertise, eagerly sharing their knowledge, further enriching my experience. The ambiance is serene, allowing for a peaceful exploration through the well-laid-out galleries.

When I visited much of this museum was closed off (I think in transition between exhibitions), however the three elements I was able to see left me happy to have been. These were a lovely cloister and stairway, a (I think) permanent collection of ceramics, and a temporary exhibition of beautiful paintings by a chap called Juan Berenguel. I also managed to visit on one of the free days. Lovely.

What a lovely little museum tucked away just steps from the bustle of a busy plaza. Unassuming but a delight to behold. It is not big and fancy but it has a courtyard reminiscent of a moorish garden and the interior is lined with some stunning artifacts spanning the history of Toledo. If you love pottery they have a very nice collection of vessels and tiles. I was surprised by the number of El Grecco paintings that it housed, all in magnificent condition. This is worth while seeing.

Great collection & exhibit! What a welcoming place for tourists, the community and world. Experiencing the building's architecture is worth a visit alone. The admission was free! How fortunate we are to have not only these works to enjoy, but that they're incorporated into the preservation of historic architecture. It's so accessible and easily located.

Gayle and I came here near the end of our day in Toledo. As with any place here, directions are not linear and finding a sought after location is sometimes confusing. For example, the Museo-Hospital de Santa Cruz is literally right across the street from the Alcazar, but at first you wouldn't know it. Admission is Free. This old hospital, now turned into a museum with temporary exhibitions, was built in XVI century. The museum displays a collection of paintings by El Greco, Goya, Ribera, Lucas Jordán, Carducho and other artists from Toledo along with valuable objects like ivory crucifix, Belgian wall-hangings, antique furniture, gold, and silver work. The archaeological exhibits include the skull of a mammoth and artifacts from the Roman, Visigoth, Arabic and Mmudejar periods. There's an Industrial Arts section where you can see examples of popular culture and local crafts. The most striking features of this plateresque building are its entrance, the elegant courtyard, the grand staircase and the Mudejar and Renaissance. Yet, like last year's visit to the Tile Museum in Lisbon, this place has an unfinished feel to it and with a lot of empty space and lack of cohesion in-between. Reasons could range from a confused state of renovation to budgetary and political issues. However, the individual parts are definitely worth a look (and study). There's also the cool Monastery next door (not open), of which we walked past on our way back down to the Train Station.

Glad I had the chance to stop. I toured the first floor and then out to cloister after I thought that was it but you go up to level 2 and there are special exhibits, photography and abstract art when I visited. Such a contrast to the first level where there are paintings, wooden trunks and money boxes, pennants that were carried into battle or hung out to identify a leader, a beautiful gold and emerald crown and other neat treasures from the past 800 years. This is a good stop.

Several of the most important El Grecos were on loan to Japan when we visited, and I still think this free museum is worth 4 stars. (Caveat - El Greco is one of my favorite painters.) I'm pretty sure that if the other El Grecos had been on display, the museum would have vaulted the 5 star bar easily for me.

We spent about an hour in this museum. There is a lot of history in here including some famous Greco paintings. I suggest going here if you are in Toledo. Just a heads up, the employees were not very friendly or helpful and only spoke Spanish.

First off I want to preface this review by explaining that while visiting it was during the El Greco exhibitions: so what follows is a combination review of the museum itself and the art exhibition itself for those planning on making the trip soon... Beautiful place! This museum currently dedicated to El Greco and the paintings of the Apostles are truly a great exhibition for anyone who has admired the painter's art work and/or artistic history. The museum itself really has the most beautiful passages ways, and courtyard is truly stunning. If there is one critique of the El Greco exhibition in particular it comes only from my lack of knowledge into the particulars of the Greco legacy, i.e. El Greco's son's art displayed in conjunction with the "Master Painter" himself. There is also included a audio accompaniment to the tour, in English, which was very much appreciated, however it didn't delve into any further explain action except for specific pieces. Overall though, it is worth going for the art and the beauty of the architecture.