The Real Monasterio de Santo Tomás is a late Gothic Dominican monastery built at the command of Ferdinand and Isabella in the 1480s and 1490s, just outside the walls of Ávila. It served as the summer residence of the Catholic Monarchs and is the most important royal monument in the city. The architecture is of the highest quality — the exterior combines Late Gothic and early Renaissance elements in the Isabelline style particular to that reign.
The three cloisters are the main draw: the Claustro del Noviciado, the Claustro del Silencio, and the Claustro de los Reyes are each distinct in character and progressively more refined. The church interior holds the tomb of Prince Juan — the prince who died at 19 and whose death effectively ended the Habsburg succession through Castile and Aragon — carved by Domenico Fancelli in Carrara marble. The museum upstairs displays Far Eastern art collected by the Dominican missionaries. Access to the roof terrace (an extra ticket) offers views over the city.