Segovia is famous for its Romanesque art, stunning architecture and historic monasteries. One of these convents, Convento de Santa Cruz la Real, is home to the IE University Campus, which is situated just outside the city walls. Built in 1218 and declared a National Heritage site in 1931, IE University's campus covers more than 18,000 m2 and consists of conference rooms, lecture halls, workrooms, laboratories, multimedia studios.

IE University's Campus also has the Reyes Catolicos Residence Hall, providing students with the comforts of modern living within a medieval backdrop. The convent's church now serves as the University's Aula Magna, a spectacular building fully restored to its former glory.

The portal of the church is the work of 15th century Spanish sculptor and architect, Juan Guas, and is a perfect architectural example of the last phase of the Gothic period. Its carvings contain a complex mix of iconographic symbols, messianic and political scenes that symbolize the protection afforded by the Catholic kings who ruled Spain at the time.

A walk through the main cloister serves to transport visitors to a place in history that marks a sharp contrast with the technology used in the various classrooms, workshops and laboratories that make up the campus of IE University.

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The history of Convento de la Santa Cruz

The Convent of Santa Cruz, the first house established in Spain by the Order of Preaching Friars, was founded in 1218, just two years after the creation of the Mendicant Order of Dominican Friars.

However, it was the kings and queens of Castile who made the greatest contribution to the convent’s development and increased its prominence. This is particularly true during the reign of the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, who put the Order of Preaching Friars in charge of the Inquisition.

Under Brother Tomás de Torquemada, the first Inquisitor General, and Prior of the Community of the Holy Cross, the convent was completely rebuilt on top of the original thirteenth-century Romanesque structure. The present church, with its monumental principal doorway, was constructed at this time.

The Dominicans occupied the convent until their expulsion was decreed in 1836 by the government minister, Mendizábal. The convent then became a hospice and, until recently, it was a nursing home for the elderly under the ownership of the Segovia Provincial Council. It has since been completely renovated to house IE University.

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Student Opinions

Luis Enrique Caraballo

The campus is so historical and nice ... ...

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Luis Enrique Caraballo

What caught by attention first was the infrastructure; it is so historical and nice, but also the people, the diversity there is on campus and how accepting everyone was. It allows you to be yourself. The group has definitely accepted who I am.