Convent and Palace of Quejana, Medieval monument and tower house in Ayala/Aiara, Spain.

The Convent and Palace of Quejana is a medieval complex that blends religious and defensive architecture with Gothic style, featuring pointed arches, thick stone walls, and elevated sections. The site includes the Church of San Juan Bautista, noble living quarters, and connected courtyards arranged around the central structures.

The site's origin is tied to the Ayala family's acquisition of the land after a 1328 inheritance conflict. On 2 December 1378 Fernán Pérez de Ayala founded the Dominican convent of San Juan on an 11th-century church. His successors, notably Chancellor Pedro López de Ayala, expanded it, adding the fortified palace and the 1399 funerary tower-chapel of the Virgen del Cabello.

The chapel of the Virgen del Cabello, built in 1399 in a square tower with a crenellated top, holds the tombs of Chancellor Pedro López de Ayala and his wife Leonor de Toledo y Guzmán. Three generations of the Ayala appear as donors in the altarpiece; the original was sold in 1913 and is now in the Art Institute of Chicago, with a replica shown here.

Plan your visit with enough time to explore the different areas from the church to the palace wings without rushing. Guided tours help explain how the various sections connect and what each space was used for originally.

The chapel's original altarpiece and frontal, sold in 1913 and auctioned in London, are now in the Art Institute of Chicago; what visitors see in the Torre-Capilla de la Virgen del Cabello are exact replicas installed after the 1959 restoration. The altarpiece inscription names Don Pero López de Ayala and Doña Leonor de Guzmán and dates the work to 1396.