Now this was hard to find.
Toledo in general was the hardest Spanish city to navigate for us. And this was the hardest place for us to find.
We started asking random people if they knew where to find the Convent and Museum, but most people had not even heard of it.
Finally, a kind university student informed us we were basically standing around the corner from it.
For a nominal admission fee (~2 Euro) a nun switched on some lights and there we were -- just us, the nun and several beautiful El Greco paintings. The whole time we were there (~1 hour), only one or two other visitors showed up. Having come from over-crowded Madrid, it was nice to be able to enjoy the art in an uncrowded environment, but I do wish that a few more visitors would come to support the convent and experience this religious art in its original location as it was intended to be seen.
The altarpiece here was El Greco's first commission when he came to Toledo.
Years later, he was buried here in a simple tomb beneath the church.
There is also a small but very interesting museum filled with bric-a-brac.
Only in this case, the bric-a-brac is often hundreds of years old and contains fascinating items including some of the original contracts that El Greco signed to create paintings for the church. And also what I believe were some ancient royal documents authorizing the founding of the church and convent.
I believe this is still a functional convent after all these years!
The nun offered to sell us some marzipan treats, which is one way that religious orders support themselves in Toledo.
We had already bought some treats from another convent (saw a sign on a wall, rang a bell, mentioned the magic password 'marzipan', was buzzed in and bought a bag of slightly-sweet muffin-type baked goods from a young nun. The bag of sweets was only 3 Euro and it served as for breakfast and snacks on several of the following days.) So we turned down the offer to buy more marzipan goods from the nun at Santo Domingo el Antiguo, but then later I felt bad about turning her down and wished I had at least looked at what she was selling and the prices. So if you go to visit this convent -- and you should if you like visiting off-the-beaten-path places with world-class art -- do please at least give the nun a chance to sell you her marzipan.
PS - No photos here. Don't even try it. The nun has ears like an owl and eyes like a hawk. (Metaphorically of course.) My wife tried to snap a photo and the nun reprimanded her instantly. I think we were lucky that the nun wasn't carrying a ruler or someone's knuckles might have gotten rapped.
PPS - It really is cool to have a place like this mostly to yourself. The whole time we were there - perhaps 1 hour - I think only one or two other visitors stopped by to see the El Grecos, pay their respects at the painter's tomb and tour the small museum. Probably other people *wanted* to visit but gave up when they were unable to find it! Or maybe other read more