Monasterio de San Juan de los Reyes, Toledo
Monastery of San Juan de los Reyes
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 Location within Castile-La Mancha
Monastery of San Juan de los Reyes (Spain)
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| Monastery information | |
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| Other names | San Juan de la Reyna |
| Dedicated to | Saint John the Evangelist |
| People | |
| Founder(s) | King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile |
| Architecture | |
| Architect | Juan Guas |
| Style | Isabelline |
| Groundbreaking | 1477 |
| Completion date | 1504 |
| Site | |
| Location |
 Toledo, Castile-La Mancha, Spain |
| Coordinates | 39°51′28″N 4°1′54″W / 39.85778°N 4.03167°WCoordinates: 39°51′28″N 4°1′54″W / 39.85778°N 4.03167°W |
The Monastery of San Juan de los Reyes (English: Monastery of Saint John of the Monarchs) is an Isabelline style monastery in Toledo, in Castile-La Mancha, Spain, built by the Catholic Monarchs (1477–1504).
This monastery was founded by King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile to commemorate both the birth of their son, Prince John, and their victory at the Battle of Toro (1476) over the army of Afonso V of Portugal.
Prince John of Portugal also celebrated his victory over the Castilian army of the Catholic monarchs with a solemn procession on each anniversary of the battle. This apparent contradiction was a consequence of the indecisive military outcome of the battle: the troops under Afonso V broke while the forces led by Prince John of Portugal defeated the Castilian right wing and remained in possession of the battlefield.
Undoubtedly, the battle represented a decisive political victory for the Catholic Monarchs, assuring them the throne and paving the way for the future united kingdoms of Spain. As summarized by the Spanish academic historian Rafael Casas:
"...San Juan de los Reyes resulted from the royal will to build a monastery to commemorate the victory in a battle with an uncertain outcome but decisive, the one fought in Toro in 1476, which consolidated the union of the two most important Peninsular Kingdoms."
Toledo was chosen as the site for building the monastery due to its central geographic location and because it had been the capital of the ancient Visigoth kingdom, symbolically reconstituted by Isabella and Ferdinand with the restoration of the lost unity of Spain, through the union of Castile with Aragon.
This monastery was initially named "San Juan de la Reyna" and was conceived to be the mausoleum of the Catholic Monarchs. They would change their plans later, choosing Granada as their burial place, after its reconquest in 1492.
The monastery's construction began in 1477 following plans drawn by architect Juan Guas, and was completed in 1504. It was dedicated to Saint John the Evangelist for use by Franciscan friars. In 1809 the monastery was badly damaged by Napoleon's troops during their occupation of Toledo, and abandoned in 1835. Restoration began in 1883 but was not completed until 1967. The monastery was restored to the Franciscan order in 1954.
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