Gayle and I came here near the end of our day in Toledo. As with any place here, directions are not…read morelinear 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.
