Santo Tomas is the royal monastery in Avila were the Catholic King and Queen Ferdinand and Isabella (Los Reyes Catolicos Fernando y Isabel) actually lived for a period of their lives. For an art and history lesson prior to spring break, our class visited the monastery to examine the architecture. In order to have a completely different experience at the holy site, Josh, Ariana, and I went to morning mass at the historic church.
Similarly to the situation when we attended Westminster Abbey in London, it was impossible to take any photos of the interior of the church during a service. Fortunately we still have many beautiful photos of the monastery from the field trip two weeks back.
This is the world in which modern-day monks of Avila and the surrounding Spanish towns study the Word of God and live their lives in simplicity. Just as much of this pre-Renaissance building has not changed since the church's construction, little has changed in the lives of these holy men. History will always tie them to the penitents who came before them and even to the royal family that led the whole of Spain to Christianity.
More lovely pictures after the jump!
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| I'll bet this cloister is lovely in full bloom |
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| San Martin de Porres, first black saint from the Americas |
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