Yuste Monastery Gardens

Spanish emperor Charles was a great lover of gardens and nature, as can be clearly seen from his retreat to Yuste in 1554. He received news of the monastery’s setting from Brussels: “… in a cool, deserted spot with water from many fountains, with endless fruit of all types, winter and summer… it is the most peaceful, mild and enjoyable spot that exists in Spain” – and he decided to build there, “a suitable house in which to be able to live with only the most vital personal servants.” The emperor wished to be in contact with nature in this place to aid meditation and prayer. He would “take time to create a garden at the top, where there is a terrace, which he wants to cover over, placing a fountain in the middle surrounded by a garden with many orange trees and flowers, and he wishes to do the same in the lower part”. Thus, he would create a pond with tiles that, along with the one on the lower terrace, would make the palace resemble the house where he was born in Ghent.