Hospital de los Venerables Tickets, Prices & Opening Hours 2026: Visitor Guide
Hospital de los Venerables is closed to general visitors as of 2026. The Archdiocese of Seville took formal possession of the building on July 9, 2025, after not renewing the lease of the Focus-Abengoa foundation that had run it as the Velázquez Centre since 1991, and handed it to the Cathedral Chapter that October to become a new museum. When it last sold tickets, general admission was €12 (with an included audio guide), hours ran 10am–7pm Monday to Saturday and 10am–3pm Sunday — but none of that is bookable right now, and a reopening isn't expected before 2027.
If you searched for tickets, prices, or opening hours expecting a straightforward answer, this guide gives you the honest current status, the last confirmed prices and hours for reference, what happened to the art collection, and what you can actually do in the meantime. It's part of our full Seville attractions guide.
What Is Hospital de los Venerables?
Hospital de los Venerables is a Baroque building in the heart of Seville's Santa Cruz quarter, built between 1675 and 1697 by the Brotherhood of Silence to house elderly and infirm priests — its name literally means "Hospital of the Venerable [Priests]." Architect Leonardo de Figueroa completed the structure, and its church, dedicated to San Fernando, was finished in 1689 with a barrel-vaulted ceiling frescoed by Juan de Valdés Leal and his son Lucas. The two-story cloister, centered on a sunken fountain designed by Bernardo Simón de Pineda, is one of the more photographed courtyards in the old town.
From 1991 until 2025, part of the building operated as the Velázquez Centre under the Focus-Abengoa Foundation, best known for displaying "Santa Rufina," a painting attributed to Diego Velázquez and valued at over €12 million, alongside works by Murillo and Zurbarán from Seville's Golden Age. That chapter of the building's history ended in 2025.
Current 2026 Status: Closed to Visitors
The Archdiocese of Seville, which owns the building, chose not to renew Focus-Abengoa's lease. On July 9, 2025, the foundation (by then operating as Focus Loyola) formally transferred possession of the Hospital de los Venerables back to the Archdiocese; in October 2025 the Archdiocese ceded the building to the Cathedral Chapter, which plans to convert it into a new museum for pieces from the Cathedral's own art collection. The Cathedral Chapter has described a "Master Plan" renovation to adapt the building for that purpose, and most sources currently point to a reopening around 2027, though no fixed date has been announced.
The official ticketing site, losvenerables.es, has been in maintenance mode with no booking function since the closure. During the interim, the church occasionally opens for concerts and cultural events, but there is no published regular schedule — check the Seville Cathedral's own event listings or the Archdiocese's site before planning a trip around one.
Tickets & Prices 2026 (Currently Suspended — Last Known Rates)
There are no tickets to buy right now — the site isn't selling general admission. For reference, the last publicly listed rates before the 2025 closure were: general admission €12, which included an audio guide; a reduced rate of €10 for visitors aged 13–25 and those 65 and over; and free entry for children under 12. Treat these as historical, not current — when the building reopens as the Cathedral Chapter's new museum, expect a different ticketing setup, since it will be curated and operated by the Cathedral rather than Focus-Abengoa.
If you specifically want to see the Focus-Abengoa collection that used to hang here — including Velázquez's "Santa Rufina" — that collection is relocating to a new venue, the former church of San Hermenegildo (Sala Hermenegildo) on Plaza de la Concordia, next to the main El Corte Inglés department store. Confirm opening dates and ticketing for that venue directly, since details are still settling as of mid-2026.
Opening Hours in 2026 (Suspended During the Closure)
The last regular opening hours, in effect through the site's final operating period in 2025, were Monday to Saturday 10am–7pm and Sunday 10am–3pm. Those hours are not currently in effect. Outside of the occasional concert or event in the church, the building is not open on a fixed daily schedule in 2026.
If you're hoping to catch one of the occasional concerts, the most reliable approach is to check Seville Cathedral's official events page or the Archdiocese of Seville's website in the weeks before your trip — these openings aren't announced far in advance and don't follow a predictable pattern.
How Long to Plan
In its current closed state, there isn't a full visit to plan for. If you walk past to see the exterior Baroque façade and the small plaza it sits on, budget 10–15 minutes. If you time a trip to coincide with one of the occasional church concerts, plan for the length of the event itself, typically an hour or so, plus arrival time. Once it reopens as a Cathedral museum — expected around 2027 — plan on roughly 45–75 minutes for a self-guided visit, based on how long the church and cloister took to see during its previous life as the Velázquez Centre.
How to Get There
Hospital de los Venerables sits at Plaza de los Venerables, 8, in the Santa Cruz quarter, a couple of minutes' walk from both Seville Cathedral and the Real Alcázar. From Puerta de Jerez or Plaza Nueva, it's an easy 5–10 minute walk through the old town's narrow streets, and city buses C3, C4, and 21 stop nearby. There's no dedicated on-site parking — the nearest options are the underground car parks at Paseo de Colón or Puerta de Jerez, both a short walk away — and Seville's tram (T1, MetroCentro) stops at Archivo de Indias/Puerta de Jerez.
Visit Tips: Avoiding Outdated Information
Because the closure happened partway through 2025, a lot of travel sites and booking aggregators still list Hospital de los Venerables as open, complete with pre-2025 prices and hours — don't trust those listings at face value in 2026. The clearest signal of the current status is the official site itself, losvenerables.es, which has shown a maintenance page with no active booking system since the transfer to the Archdiocese.
If your main interest is the art rather than the building, look for the Focus-Abengoa collection's new home at Sala Hermenegildo on Plaza de la Concordia instead of planning around this address. And if you're set on seeing the church interior specifically, keep an eye on the Cathedral's event calendar for concert dates rather than showing up expecting standard museum hours.
Nearby Attractions
Santa Cruz is dense enough that several major sights sit within a few minutes' walk. Seville Cathedral and the Giralda tower, the world's largest Gothic cathedral, is just around the corner. The Real Alcázar, Europe's oldest royal palace still in active use, is a two-minute walk away and makes an easy substitute stop while the Hospital is closed. A short walk further through the old town leads to Casa de Pilatos, a 16th-century noble palace blending Mudéjar and Renaissance styles that draws far smaller crowds than either. For more overlooked corners of the city like this one, see our guide to hidden gems in Seville, and if a church concert lines up with your trip, check our roundup of things to do in Seville at night.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Hospital de los Venerables open in 2026?
No. It has been closed to general visitors since 2025, when the Archdiocese of Seville took back possession of the building from the Focus-Abengoa foundation and handed it to the Cathedral Chapter to become a new museum. A reopening isn't expected before 2027, and no fixed date has been announced.
How much did tickets to Hospital de los Venerables cost before it closed?
The last publicly listed prices, in effect through 2025, were €12 for general admission (audio guide included), €10 for visitors aged 13–25 or 65 and over, and free for children under 12. These prices are no longer current — no tickets are being sold in 2026 — and pricing under the Cathedral Chapter's new museum plan hasn't been announced.
When will Hospital de los Venerables reopen?
No official date has been set. The Cathedral Chapter is planning a renovation ("Master Plan") to convert the building into a museum for the Cathedral's own art collection, and most reporting points to a reopening around 2027. Check the Archdiocese of Seville's website or Seville Cathedral's official channels for updates closer to your trip.
Where did the Velázquez Centre's art collection move to?
The Focus-Abengoa collection, including the painting "Santa Rufina" attributed to Diego Velázquez, is relocating to the former church of San Hermenegildo (Sala Hermenegildo) on Plaza de la Concordia, next to the main El Corte Inglés department store in Seville. Confirm current opening status and ticketing directly with that venue, as details were still settling as of mid-2026.
Can I still see anything at Hospital de los Venerables while it's closed?
You can view the Baroque exterior façade and the small plaza it sits on at any time. The church interior occasionally opens for concerts and cultural events during the closure, though there's no fixed schedule — check Seville Cathedral's event listings before planning a visit around one.
Hospital de los Venerables is a genuine case where the honest answer beats the convenient one: this isn't a site you can currently book, and most "tickets and hours" pages online haven't caught up with the 2025 closure. The building itself — and its eventual life as a Cathedral museum — is still worth tracking for a future trip, but in 2026 your time in Santa Cruz is better spent at the neighboring sights that are actually open.
Check the Archdiocese of Seville's official channels before your trip in case a concert or the eventual 2027 reopening lines up with your dates, and in the meantime treat the Real Alcázar and Seville Cathedral — both a two-minute walk away — as the priority stops in this part of the old town.
For official updates, see the Hospital de los Venerables official site and the Archdiocese of Seville's announcement on the building's transfer.
