The Courtyard

The courtyard at the back of the house retains the layout of the original livestock pen, as the wall that originally separated it from the neighbouring houses has survived. It formed part of the kitchen area.

The wall features four cast-iron reliefs with episodes from Don Quixote, made in 1877 by the sculptor Pablo Santos de Berasategui to decorate the pedestal of the monument dedicated to Cervantes that same year.

In 1918, one of the walls that originally separated the interior courtyards of the neighbouring buildings was dismantled. It was replaced with the façade from the church of the Hieronymite monastery of Our Lady of Armedilla, the ruins of which are located near Cogeces del Monte (Valladolid). This façade was probably designed by the Flemish architect Hanequin, who is known to have worked on the monastery around 1512. It represents an excellent example of early Renaissance style, closely related to the façade of the Colegio Mayor de Santa Cruz.

The courtyard also features a bronze bust of the American tycoon and Hispanist Archer M. Huntington, signed in 1958 by his wife, the sculptor Anne Hyatt, who donated it to this museum. It honours the memory of the man who was a keen supporter of the preservation of the House of Cervantes Museum.