It is a building consisting of several units that house a hospital and a convent, with a significant development during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. With the confiscation, the convent disappeared and the hospital was transformed into wine cellars.
With the creation of the National Company of Classic Theatre in 1986, their lands were acquired for the construction of a new theatre as a permanent headquarters of the Company.
At present, the part that occupied the convent is a stage area used by the National Company of Classic Theatre since 1993. The part aimed at churches and hospitals has become the headquarters of the Space of Contemporary Art of Almagro.
This hospital, which has its origins in a medieval foundation, was first known by the name of “Nuestra Senora de los Llanos,” or, “Our Lady of the Plains.” It had a congregation of the same name and was attended by devotees of Saint Francis. Due to its high moral standards and its spiritual connection to the Virgin of the Plains (whose reverential gothic sculpture has disappeared), this structure was always a favored one.
The hospital (charity house) was eventually converted. The nuns abandoned their mission to aid the ill and called upon the brothers of San Juan de Dios to take charge of the hospital. Upon their arrival, the brothers began the construction of a new wing, feeling the old one alone would not be sufficient. They purchased new homes for members of their brotherhood next to the temple of San Blas and in front of the home of the Marques de Santacruz.
In 1632 they began a new construction project which continued until the end of the 18th century. In 1775, the hospital underwent one final renovation which made it what it is today.
The interior of the Hospital of San Juan was formed linearly, following the facade, by a grand hall where the hospital connects with the church. This design was chosen so that those being treated for illness could participate in religious ceremonies from their beds. The exterior is a large façade made of brick and mortar from which a single arched door opens outwards. There is also a correspondence between the windows on the lower and upper parts of the church.
The facade of the church, which faces the meadow of San Blas, shares many characteristics with other churches occupied by members of the Carmen order. The interior is formed by two long naves and a square pulpit. It is covered by a barrel vault with supportive arches and small windows. The main chapel, covered by a cannon arch, houses a heavily decorated altarpiece and extensive, religious wall paintings. The Hospital was covered by a diaphanous nave vault where the beds were places for the monks.