# The Residence · San Ildefonso Residence | Alcalá Stay inside a 500-year-old UNESCO World Heritage college near Madrid: 38 en-suite rooms with breakfast included, in the courtyard of the University of Alcala. > Markdown mirror of the page below. Same content, plain text. > https://www.residenciasanildefonso.es/en/residencia.html --- # The Residence Cisneros founded this place in 1499. The Cervantes Prize is presented by His Majesty the King, every year, opposite the Residence. ## You arrive, and history looks down upon you On the **Plaza de San Diego**, an immense façade looks down upon you. It dates from the **sixteenth century**, from the early Spanish Renaissance: stone carved like a great altarpiece, covered in bas-reliefs of which **not one — not a single one — is without meaning**. It is like reading a book written in stone. And there, standing before it, it hits you at once: **five centuries of history, right in front of you.** You cross the threshold and you are already inside the **Colegio Mayor de San Ildefonso** (the historic San Ildefonso College), the heart of the university that Cardinal Cisneros founded in 1499. Through these courtyards and lecture halls passed **Quevedo, Nebrija, Lope de Vega, Calderón, Saint Ignatius of Loyola, Jovellanos…** A place that still holds the magic of having housed the men who changed the course of history. ## History and location The foundation stone of the **Colegio Mayor de San Ildefonso** was laid on 14 March 1500; the building opened on 26 July 1508 with seven scholars who had come from Salamanca. What began as a bold gamble in a Castilian town became the *Universitas Complutensis*, a model for universities across Europe and the origin of today's University of Alcalá. The **Plateresque façade** was carved by Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón between 1537 and 1553, and is today one of the most recognisable images of Alcalá. Inside are the courtyards of Santo Tomás de Villanueva, the Philosophers' Courtyard (Patio de los Filósofos) and the Trilingual Courtyard, and the **Paraninfo** (great hall), where the *Cervantes Prize* is presented each year. The complex has been a **UNESCO World Heritage Site** since 1998. The Residence is located in the **Philosophers' Courtyard**, within the historic Rectorate building of the UAH — a few metres from the Paraninfo and the historic centre. ### Key facts - **Location**: Plaza San Diego, s/n, 28801 Alcalá de Henares · UAH Rectorate building - **Building**: Philosophers' Courtyard (Patio de los Filósofos) - **Recognition**: UNESCO World Heritage Site (1998) - **Management**: CRUSA · University of Alcalá - **Capacity**: 38 rooms (imagen: Low-angle view of the Plateresque façade of the Colegio Mayor de San Ildefonso at sunset, with flags waving over the portal) (imagen: Historic courtyard of the Colegio Mayor de San Ildefonso) ## Facilities Everything you need to work well and rest better, inside a sixteenth-century building. R ### Rooms 38 rooms, single and double, with a full private bathroom. C ### Common room Very versatile common room, with a fridge, microwave and a seating area with sofas and television; it also serves as a dining room. Breakfast included. ◎ ### Next to the CRAI The University of Alcalá's library (CRAI) is just a few metres away. C ### Historic courtyards Access to the Philosophers' Courtyard and the common areas of the College. (imagen: Landscaped courtyard of the residence with its columned porch and the glazed common area in the background) (imagen: Twin room with two beds and a wooden headboard at Residencia Universitaria San Ildefonso, Alcala de Henares) (imagen: Study area with a desk and television at Residencia Universitaria San Ildefonso, next to the University of Alcala CRAI library) ## About your stay ### Is breakfast included? Where? Yes, included. We give you tickets for the café in the courtyard or the Metrópoli café (corner of Calle Libreros and Plaza de Cervantes). ### What are the check-in and check-out times? Check-in from 15:00, check-out until 11:00. After check-out you can leave your luggage if you need to. ### Is there a dining room or common area? Yes, a very versatile common room with a fridge and microwave, which also serves as a dining room. ### Can I stay long-term or for the whole academic term? Yes, we accept long stays and full academic-term stays, at the same nightly price. [See all frequently asked questions](https://www.residenciasanildefonso.es/en/contacto.php#faq) **And then you understand it completely: you do not come here to visit. You come here to stay.** Your room is in the **Philosophers' Courtyard**, inside the very College that Cisneros built — today a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You sleep where others wrote history — and every morning, when you open the door, those five-hundred-year-old walls are still there to meet you.