Carmus, Carmelite museum
Traces of saintliness

This is one of the places where the traces of Saint Teresa can be most vividly sensed. And it is not surprising: the museum is set in part of one of her most cherished foundations and the place where she died: the Anunciación convent.

An extremely interesting tour is organised around the camarines, niches or spaces specifically designed to shelter the Saint’s remains. The tour finishes where her tomb and her relics are, a place that attracts thousands of pilgrims every year.

But the convent’s museum is much more than that: it also houses an interesting, valuable, religious art collection, which has been gathered since the 16^th century, mostly thanks to the donations of the Carmelite nuns protectors and Saint Teresa’s faithful devotees. The collection includes Renaissance and Baroque works: sculptures, carved images, worked gold, reliquaries and ivory pieces, as well as paintings. It is remarkable, not just for the number of pieces exhibited, but also for their quality: an experience that can attract the Baroque and Renaissance art lovers as much as religious visitors.

This is certainly an exceptional museum, with highlights such as the Dolorosa, a carving by Pedro de Mena from around 1675, or collections such as statues of the Infant Jesus with various garments, dating from the 17^th and 18^th centuries, and the rich collection of paintings on copper or on semi-precious stones.