Seminario Mayor de Comillas
Former neo-Gothic and Modernista seminary in Comillas, by Martorell and Domènech i Montaner, visitable with a guide.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
In the early 1880s Antonio López, first Marquis of Comillas, wanted to found a secondary school for children without means. The Jesuits rejected the idea and proposed instead a seminary for the evangelisation of America. After the marquis's death in January 1883, his son Claudio López Bru increased the financial contribution, and the first stone was laid on 20 May of that year.
Joan Martorell i Montells drew the plans in a historicist style that mixes Gothic and Mudéjar elements, and Cristóbal Cascante i Colom directed the works until his death in 1889. Lluís Domènech i Montaner replaced him and completed the building in 1892, adding a more Modernista decoration in the assembly hall (paraninfo), the church, the vestibule and the staircase. Painters such as Eduardo Llorens, Josep Maria Tamburini and Joan Llimona, sculptors such as Eusebi Arnau and Joan Roig, stained-glass artists and the Masriera y Campins foundry workshop also took part in the work.
The building combines rubble stone masonry, brick and ceramic tilework, and its interior is rich in a symbolic language of columns, altarpieces, stained glass and paintings. Among the most notable spaces are the Puerta de las Virtudes, the vestibule and staircase, the assembly hall, with a large frieze painted on panel depicting a procession around the Ark of the Covenant, the church and the domestic chapel, with brick vaults, and the cistern beneath the main cloister.
Highlights
- Historicist building by Joan Martorell, completed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner
- Assembly hall (paraninfo) with a large frieze painted on panel
- Puerta de las Virtudes, vestibule and staircase
- Church and domestic chapel with brick vaults
- Guided visit of about 45 minutes
Permanent exhibition
- Visita guiada al edificio – Guided tour of the artistic spaces of the former seminary, such as the assembly hall (paraninfo), the church and the domestic chapel.
- Operated by
- Gobierno de Cantabria (Centros Culturales de Cantabria)
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €7 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €5Children aged 4 to 12, large families, people over 65 and pensioners, unemployed people, students with a student card, and people with a 65% disability, with prior accreditation |
| Children & teens | €5free up to age 3 · Reduced rate for ages 4 to 12; general admission from age 13. Free for ages 0 to 3. |
| Seniors | €5Reduced rate for people over 65 and pensioners, with accreditation. |
| Visitors with disabilities | €5Reduced rate for a 65% disability, with accreditation. |
| Students & apprentices | €5Reduced rate with a student card. |
| Groups (11+ people) | €5 per personGroups of 11 or more people. |
| School groups | €2 |
Prices for the guided visit. Free admission for children aged 0 to 3, for members of ICOMOS, official guides of Cantabria and holders of the Pasaporte Cultura, with accreditation.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Amenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 45 min |
|---|---|
| Good to know | The interior is visited only on a guided visit, lasting about 45 minutes and with a maximum of 40 people per session. Advance booking online or by phone (942 598 425) is recommended. |
