La Cartuja — the Royal Monastery of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción — is one of the most extravagant examples of Spanish Baroque architecture in existence. Founded in 1506, construction continued for nearly three centuries, which explains why the exterior reads as plain and austere while the interior spaces build to an almost overwhelming crescendo of gilded ornament.
The sacristy is the high point: every surface is covered in carved marble, stucco, and inlaid tortoiseshell and ivory, reaching a level of decorative intensity that makes the Alhambra's intricate work feel restrained by comparison. The church itself is nearly as elaborate. It's deliberately over-the-top — the Carthusians were demonstrating the power of faith through excess.
The monastery sits about 2 km north of the city centre, a short bus ride or taxi from the Alhambra. Carthusian monks continued living and working here until the 19th-century suppression of religious orders; the vegetable gardens and cells where individual monks grew their own food still remain on the grounds.