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Cartuja de Nuestra Señora de la Defensión
Photo: Francisco Ruiz-Cortina Aguado, CC BY-SA 2.5 via Wikimedia Commons
Fine Carthusian monastery, built 15th to 17th century on the site of a battle against the Moors. It was wrecked by Napoleon’s troops in 1810 but restored. The monastery was dissolved in 1835 but it nowadays houses three orders of nuns.
The Charterhouse of Jerez de la Frontera or Charterhouse of Santa María de la Defensión is a monastery in Jerez de la Frontera, Cádiz, Spain. Its architecture is of a Late Gothic style, corresponding to the start of construction in the 15th century, with Baroque aspects dating from the 17th century. The building, completed in the 17th century, has been protected by the Spanish government since the mid-19th century under a heritage listing.
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The Carthusian monks bred horses for 500 years until they had to flee Napoleon’s invasion. The blood-line was almost lost, but the stud was revived under private owners.
Surely the most attractive church in Jerez. Construction started in 1484 but dragged on for 300 years.
Citadel built by the Abbadid Moors in the 11th century, re-built by the Almohads in the 12th and converted into a Christian stronghold from 1261. The complex includes a mosque (converted into a church, with the minaret becoming a bell tower), Arab baths, several towers, gardens, cloistered patios, the Palacio Villavicencio, and a camera obscura.
Palacio de San Dionisio
Excellent museum of the history of wine and sherry in the region, you pay more for tastings. San Dionisio Palace was built in 1837 over a former prison and transformed into the home of a wealthy wine merchant.
Belén is Spanish for Bethlehem, and this is a display of intricately-carved Nativity scenes.
On the site of the former main mosque, construction of Colegiata de Nuestro Señor San Salvador began in 1695 and took 80 years. It’s in a mix of styles and was promoted to a cathedral in 1980. You can ascend the tower for an extra euro.