The monastery is an example of the
Isabelline style. Its church is in the form of a
Latin cross, with short arms, an elongated nave (approximately 50 metres in length, and 30 metres high), and side chapels situated between the domed arches – three chapels on either side of the nave, and two more under the choir. The church is notable for its decoration of the coats of arms of the
Catholic Monarchs held by eagles. Its chancel is decorated with an altar (mid-16th century) from the former
Santa Cruz Hospital by sculptor
Felipe Bigarny and painter
Francisco de Comontes, depicting scenes from the Passion and the Resurrection, as well as two scenes of the Santa Cruz legend. Its cloister has a small garden. The ground floor's ceiling is formed of German cross vaults set with figures of saints interspersed with animal and plant motifs, all created by the Toledo sculptor Cecilio Béjar in the 20th century. Its upper cloisters, first completed in 1526 and restored in the 19th century, contain
Mudéjar ornamentation, including a ceiling of
larch wood, painted with the motifs and coats of arms of the
Catholic Monarchs, and the motto
Tanto monta, monta tanto. The monastery building is traditionally said to have been commissioned by Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand II to commemorate their victory over the Portuguese-Castilian forces of
Afonso V and
Prince John at the
Battle of Toro in 1476. To symbolize the victory of the Christians in the years-long
Granada campaign, its
granite exterior facade is festooned, as per the Queen's order of 1494, with the manacles and shackles worn by Christian prisoners from Granada held by the Moors and released during the
Reconquista. == Gallery ==