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The Monterey Palace is a grand quadrangular edifice with multiple wings and towers, commissioned in 1539 by Alonso de Z煤帽iga y Acevedo Fonseca, the 3rd Count of Monterrey. It stands as a consummate example of Spanish Renaissance civil architecture, embodying the ornate Plateresque style. Only its southern wing was completed due to financial constraints and the premature death of the count's heir. Despite being unfinished, the building鈥檚 crested towers, decorative balconies, and fantasting chimneys remain symbols of Golden Age nobility.

Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, the Monterey Palace left an mark on Spanish architectural heritage, inspiring the 鈥淢onterrey style鈥� seen in buildings like the Archaeological Museum of Seville, the Palencia Provincial Council, and the Cavalry Academy of Valladolid. Its historical and cultural significance was formally recognized when it was declared a National Historic Monument in 1929.

Today, the palace remains part of the House of Alba family鈥檚 heritage and even serves as a residence for the Duke of Alba. Following restoration efforts in collaboration with the city of Salamanca and the Casa de Alba Foundation, it opened its doors to the public in May 2018. Visitors can now experience an intimate glimpse of noble life, exploring rooms filled with period furnishings, tapestries, Talavera ceramics, and cherished artworks鈥攊ncluding two rare landscapes by Jos茅 de Ribera, a portrait of the Grand Duke of Alba, works by Salvatore Rosa, and even pieces attributed to Tiziano.

The official tourism portal highlights that the Monterey Palace offers music, narration, and visuals to bring its historic atmosphere to life. One highlight is the panoramic view from its tower, where you can admire the elaborate stone filigree and chimneys up close, along with sweeping vistas of Salamanca鈥檚 skyline.

The Pontifical University of Salamanca was established in 1940 by Pope Pius XII, following the abolition of the ecclesiastical faculties of Theology and Canon Law at the University of Salamanca in 1854. It was created as a continuation of those traditions, restoring them within a new institution dedicated to Catholic higher education.

Since its founding, the university has been housed in the former Royal College of the Holy Spirit, commonly known as La Clerec铆a. Construction of this impressive Baroque structure began in 1617 under the direction of architect Juan G贸mez de Mora, commissioned by Queen Margaret of Austria, wife of Philip III. It took over a century to complete, and includes a church fa莽ade, twin towers, and a grand dome.

The Courtyard of the Studies within the historic headquarters of La Clerec铆a, resembles a royal courtyard, adorned with semi-columns, arched galleries, balconies, and notable artworks like the 28 paintings depicting the life of Saint Ignatius by Sebastiano Conca. Visitors can often climb the university鈥檚 bell tower, enjoying panoramic views of Salamanca鈥檚 skyline. Tours typically include the Main Hall, cloisters, Grand Staircase, and the bell tower with spectacular vistas.

Though relatively new compared to its medieval counterpart, the Pontifical University of Salamanca is home to nearly 6,500 students, operating as a private, non-profit Roman Catholic university. It offers degrees in theology, canon law, philosophy, and related disciplines, both on its main Salamanca campus and at a branch in Madrid.

Hospital of Study, founded in 1413 under the name Hospital of Saint Thomas Aquinas, served a unique dual purpose: it provided both lodging and medical care for economically disadvantaged university students. This charitable institution held deep backing from both monarchy and university, underscoring the bond between learning, religion, and civic responsibility.

The building's Plateresque portal is rich in symbolism: framed within a double-height alfiz, the doorway features sculptural motifs of Saint Thomas Aquinas, the Virgin, and Archangel Gabriel, culminating above in heraldic shields鈥擟astile and Le贸n at the center, flanked by the royal arms of Castile and Aragon with the eagle of Saint John.

Originally aimed at serving students through care and hospitality until 1810, the building鈥檚 function evolved over centuries. By the mid-19th century, its chapel housed the University鈥檚 historical archives, and in the late 20th century, it became the seat of the University鈥檚 government, now home to the Rectorate. Inside, visitors find the Hall of Portraits鈥攐nce the infirmary鈥攏ow used for ceremonial and public university events.

Within the courtyard of the Minor Schools at the University of Salamanca, the Sky Over Salamanca is a stunning 15th鈥慶entury fresco originally painted by Fernando Gallego in the 1480s. It once adorned the vault of the old university library鈥攏ow transformed into the Chapel of Saint Jerome鈥攂ut most of the original structure collapsed during later alterations. Only one-third of the celestial ceiling survived, hidden behind a false ceiling until its rediscovery in 1901.

The surviving fragment鈥攔oughly 8.7 meters in diameter鈥攊s a richly detailed astrological diagram, painted on a quarter鈥憇phere vault. It portrays zodiac signs such as Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, and Sagittarius, alongside constellations like Hydra, Bo枚tes, and Hercules. The Sun and Mercury are represented dramatically鈥攐ne riding a chariot and the other atop an eagle鈥慸rawn vehicle鈥攔eflecting the iconography of the Poeticon Astronomicon, referred in English as 鈥淭he Poetical Astronomy鈥�.

Far more than decorative art, the fresco is a remarkable artifact of medieval science and education. Influenced by the university's recently established chair of astrology, the fresco likely served as a planetarium for teaching astronomy and medicine鈥攐ffering students a visual guide to the cosmos and astrological houses. Despite popular belief, it does not represent the actual sky above Salamanca on a specific date鈥攃onstellations from both hemispheres are depicted together鈥攗nderscoring its symbolic, not literal, purpose.

Today, visitors can view this preserved fragment in the University Museum housed within the Minor Schools. The fresco, carefully transferred to canvas in the early 1950s, stands as a quiet yet mesmerizing reminder of the Golden Age of intellectual and artistic endeavor in Salamanca.

The Minor Schools served as the preparatory stage for students entering the higher degrees at the University鈥攃overing foundational subjects like grammar, logic, and rhetoric, which were prerequisites to pursue advanced studies in fields such as law, medicine, or theology. These schools played a vital role in equipping students鈥攑articularly from less affluent backgrounds鈥攚ith the scholarly tools needed to advance within the university system.

Although modest in scale, the building鈥檚 design exudes Renaissance charm. Its fa莽ade features two semicircular arches supported by a granite column with a Corinthian capital, and is crowned by the imperial coat of arms of Charles I. The surrounding courtyard is a serene, one-story cloister framed by gently curving mixtilinear arches, topped by an 18th-century Baroque balustrade.

One of the most iconic treasures hidden within the Minor Schools is the Cielo de Salamanca, meaning Sky of Salamanca, a vaulted astrological fresco painted in the late 15th century. It depicts constellations, zodiac signs, the sun, and Mercury鈥攍ikely serving an educational role for astronomy or medicine students. Today, it's preserved within a museum space inside the building, offering a glimpse into the scholarly worldview of Salamanca鈥檚 Golden Age.

Although the Minor Schools no longer serve their original educational purpose, the complex remains an invaluable heritage site鈥攑art educational space, part cultural venue. It now houses exhibitions, academic events, and interpretive installations, continuing its centuries-long tradition as a locus of learning and cultural exchange.

The Old Cathedral's official name is the Cathedral of Saint Mary. The cathedral was founded in 1120 by Salamanca's first bishop, Jerome of Perigord. Construction continued until the final days of the 14th century.

This was an era of transition in many buildings, from Romanesque to Gothic styles. The shift from Romanesque to Gothic is abrupt. Construction of the New Cathedral lasted from 1520 to 1733. The Old Cathedral remained open, and the decision to demolish it was kept on hold.

The cathedral has a basilica plan and a Latin cross. It has three naves and a chevet with three cylindrical apses with semicircular windows. The religious edifice was built with a fortress in mind, but the original battlements are gone.

The impressive dome above the transept is held up by massive pendentives. The outer shape is conical, decorated with scales, and crowned with a rooster weather vane, giving it the name, "Tower of the Rooster." The dome sits on a drum of 16 columns and 32 windows. It was restrengthened in the 19th century to avoid collapse.

Inside, the main 15th-century altarpiece is by artist Nicolas Florentino, who also did the upper fresco of The Last Judgment. The chapel of San Martin is housed in the hollow of the bell tower. There is a painting of Saint Martin sharing his cape with a beggar. The chapel holds several tombs from the 12th and 13 centuries.

There are the Chapels of San Salvador and Santa Barbara on the eastern and southern sides of the old cloister. San Salvador is the oldest. There is a tomb in the center, under the Islamic-style dome. The Chapel of Santa Barbara served as the examination room for bachelor and doctoral candidates.

The chapter rooms of the cloister, built in 1526, house the Cathedral Museum. The Chapel of Santa Catalina dates from the 12th century. The largest room, it is used for cultural events and conferences. The Chapel of San Bartolome holds the tomb of Diego de Anaya, who founded the College of San Bartolome.

In 1509 Ferdinand II of Aragon perceived the Old Cathedral of Salamanca to be "small, dark, and low." He ordered architects Anton Egas and Alonso Rodriguez to drop everything in Toledo and Seville and proceed to Salamanca to lay out a new temple.

The New Cathedral, after much discussion, was to be laid out parallel to the Old Cathedral. It was built in the Gothic style with frank stone from Villamayor. It has a rectangular floor plan with three central naves and two extra naves with niched side chapels. The header end is rectangular, forming a hall plan.

Work was halted through most of the 17th century and completed in 1733. All this suffered some devastation from the Lisbon earthquake of 1755. Afterward, the dome was done over, and the bell tower was strengthened.

The catastrophe is remembered today with a traditional popular ceremony called, "Mariquelo." When the earthquake of 1755 made itself felt in Salamanca, the people huddled in the Cathedral, seeking Heaven's protection. The Cathedral stood, and no one died. The Cathedral Council felt there was a divine pattern to it all.

The Council ordered that each year on October 31st, a Mariquelo family member should climb to the top of the Cathedral to ring the bells in gratitude to God and also, to check on the inclination of the tower, which had developed a slight list. The Mariquelos had been living in the Cathedral, so they got the job.

In 1976 the last member of the clan made the ascent of the tower, and the tradition fell into disuse. In 1985 however, it was revived. Today, a man dressed as a cowboy climbs the tower, carrying bagpipes and drums. The bell rings, and the people in the square thank God and pray for peace.

Palacio de Anaya (Anaya Palace) is one of the few buildings in Salamanca in neoclassical style. It owes its name to Diego de Anaya Maldonado, founder of the Colegio de San Bartolom茅 in 1401. Its works began in 1760, to replace the previous building of the Colegio Mayor de San Bartolom茅, badly damaged in the Lisbon earthquake of 1755. Its creators were Jos茅 from Hermosilla and Juan de Sagarvinaga. Its most striking elements are the fa莽ade and the imperial staircase inside the palace, where there is also an interesting bust of Miguel de Unamuno, made by Victorio Macho in 1930.

After the suppression of the university colleges, the building had various uses, including Civil Government, which is why it is currently known as a palace, although it is actually a college.

The Anaya Palace currently houses the Faculty of Philology of the University of Salamanca.

Next to the school is the Hospeder铆a, 1715, by Joaqu铆n Churriguera, which housed students who paid for their studies by serving other noble and wealthy students who occupied the College. Today it is used for classrooms and offices, and its old stables house the Faculty cafeteria.

The baroque church of San Sebasti谩n, formerly the school chapel and currently the Cathedral Parish, is also attached.

Beware the Archbishop's revenge! Legend has it that in the 16th century, Archbishop Alonso de Fonseca visited Salamanca to attend a diocesan council. He was traveling with his mistress, Lady Juana Pimentel. When he asked for hospitality for himself and Juana, the disapproving nobles refused. The Archbishop had to be avenged.

Alonso caused the Palacio to be built and decorated with huge corbels of grotesque images of writhing, tortured figures showing great pain. It's true Alonso and Juana were an item, but the revenge story is fake.

Salina Palace was ordered by Don Rodrigo de Mess铆a, Lord of La Guardia, who was married to Do帽a Mayor de Fonseca and Toledo. Dona Mayor bequeathed the mansion to her second son, Juan Alonso de Fonseca. This is why the Fonseca coat of arms is on the facade of the building, and the palace is also called the Fonseca Palace.

Salina Palace, built in 1538, is in the Plateresque style and shows Italian elements. It has a light, open facade, a patio with a gallery of arches, capitals, and the aforementioned monstrous corbels supporting the courtyard balconies. The architect was Rodrigo Gil de Hontanon.

The building was originally intended as a salt warehouse, hence the name "Salina." It was the headquarters of the Salt state monopoly until 1870. Juan Alonso was certainly the salt concessionaire of the city. Since 1884 Salina Palace has housed the Provincial Council.

Rising approximately 28 meters high, the Clavero Tower was constructed in the second half of the 15th century as part of the palace of Don Francisco de Sotomayor, a high-ranking Clavero Mayor of the Order of Alc谩ntara. The name "Clavero" itself refers to this title, meaning he was entrusted with the keys and archives of his order.

One of the tower鈥檚 most captivating features is its unusual form: a sturdy square base transitions smoothly into an eight-sided upper section about twenty meters above ground. Around its upper tier are eight semi-cylindrical turrets鈥攌nown as garitas鈥攅ach ornately decorated and topped with heraldic shields. The cornice is lined with blind arches and modillions鈥攃lassic Gothic decorative motifs.

Though it perhaps suggests a defensive structure, the tower鈥檚 height and design indicate that it was more a symbol of noble prestige than a martial stronghold. Some historians suggest it was part of a civil urban palace, possibly echoing designs like the tower of Belalc谩zar Castle, rather than serving any real fortification function.

Declared a national monument on June 3, 1931, it's one of the few remnants of noble fortifications in the city along with the Tower of the Air. In 1943, the tower was donated to the municipal government and later became home to offices for Salamanca鈥檚 provincial government and cultural institutions. Although public access inside is limited, its exterior continues to enchant visitors.

Founded by Juana Rodr铆guez de Monroy, a Castilian noblewoman, the Duenas Convent emerged from the noblewoman鈥檚 own palace, which she generously donated to Dominican nuns as a retreat for devout women of high birth鈥攈ence the moniker 鈥淟as Due帽as鈥�, meaning The Noble Ladies. The original Mudejar-style elements of the palace, such as horseshoe arches and decorative tiles, remain visible in spots like the upper cloister, lending a distinctive architectural heritage to the site.

The convent was built in 1419 and around 1533, it expanded significantly with the construction of its church and cloister. Built by Dominican friar Mart铆n de Santiago, the church features a single Gothic nave capped with rib鈥憊aulted ceilings and concludes with an apse framed by a Baroque altarpiece. Yet the true architectural jewel lies in the convent鈥檚 cloister鈥攁n irregular, pentagonal two鈥憀evel structure that had to adapt to pre-existing walls and corridors.

The lower galleries boast segmental arches supported by slender columns, with intricately carved medallions in the spandrels. The upper galleries are framed by classical lintels, columns, and sculpted footings, while the caps display imaginative and fantastical motifs鈥攎onsters and grotesques among them鈥攎aking this cloister a standout example of Plateresque ornamentation. Remarkably, the Duenas Convent remains an active home for Dominican nuns, preserving its historical purpose as a spiritual retreat.

The Convent of Saint Stephen is a Dominican monastery whose current structure was built between 1524 and 1610 on the site of a former 13th-century convent. Initiated by Cardinal Friar Juan 脕lvarez de Toledo, its construction involved celebrated architects鈥擩uan de 脕lava laid the original plans, followed by Mart铆n de Santiago and Rodrigo Gil de Honta帽贸n, who completed key elements like the transept and dome.

The fa莽ade of the convent is a masterpiece of Plateresque art, artfully organized in three vertical tiers and three horizontal levels, resembling an intricate retablo. It features reliefs by Juan Antonio Ceroni depicting the martyrdom of Saint Stephen and the Calvary, all surrounded by symbolic medallions, vegetative motifs, and heraldic shields鈥攁n emblem of Counter-Reformation ideals and Dominican authority. While Plateresque ornament dominates, echoes of late Gothic and emerging Baroque styles are visible, reflecting the prolonged construction period.

Inside, the convent church follows a Latin鈥慶ross layout with a single, soaring nave and a domed transept. The real highlight is the monumental main altarpiece, crafted by Jos茅 Benito de Churriguera in 1692鈥�1693. This towering Baroque marvel, enriched with gilding and Solomonic columns, contains sculpted saints and a central painting by Claudio Coello depicting Saint Stephen鈥檚 martyrdom鈥攊ts richness typical of Spanish Baroque exuberance.

The convent also boasts the elegant Cloister of the Kings, designed by Fray Mart铆n de Santiago. This two-story cloister blends Gothic rib vaults below with a wooden artesonado upper gallery, where medallions depict Old Testament prophets and scenes from Christ鈥檚 infancy鈥攆orming a 鈥渇igurative Bible鈥� for the faithful.

The College of the Immaculate Conception of Calatrava stands as the only surviving collegiate building in the city established by one of Spain鈥檚 military orders, the Order of Calatrava. Founded in 1552 by decree of Emperor Charles V, it was quickly incorporated into the prestigious University of Salamanca by 1554. Yet, the grand edifice we admire today took shape much later, with its construction commencing in 1717 under architect Joaqu铆n de Churriguera, who guided the project until his passing in 1724.

Over the decades, the building's evolution reflected changing tastes and intentions. Work resumed in 1750 under Jer贸nimo Garc铆a de Qui帽ones, at a time when neoclassical aesthetics were in vogue. To align with contemporary style and under the influence of then-rector Francisco Ib谩帽ez de Corbera, much of the original Baroque ornamentation was removed, culminating in the church鈥檚 consecration in 1790. The building's facade, composed of two levels framed by giant pilasters and topped with a dignified balustrade, blends Renaissance inspiration with subtle, lingering Baroque details鈥攕een especially in the curved forms around the entrance and window moldings.

Inside, the building experienced dramatic loss during the Spanish War of Independence: several paintings by Francisco de Goya, including a prominent depiction of the Immaculate Conception in the chapel鈥檚 high altarpiece, vanished in the upheaval of conflict. Later, the building transitioned from its original academic and spiritual function to serve successive diocesan roles鈥攆irst as a minor seminary, then a major seminary鈥攂efore being largely underutilized due to declining vocations.

Today, the college has found new life as the House of the Church, the seat of the Diocese of Salamanca. Following a major renovation between 2000 and 2003, it now houses diocesan offices, a residence, library, auditorium, chapel, and meeting facilities鈥攂ecoming once more a center for community and ecclesiastical activity.