The Cloisters

The Cloisters is the branch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in Fort Tryon Park, Manhattan, dedicated to the art and architecture of medieval Europe. The museum building and assembled collection opened in 1938 and incorporate reconstructed European cloisters and chapels.

Collections emphasize medieval sculpture, illuminated manuscripts, tapestries, metalwork, and liturgical objects. The museum’s most famous holdings include a complete set of seven Unicorn Tapestries and extensive examples of Romanesque and Gothic architecture reassembled inside the galleries.

Much of the building’s fabric consists of stonework and architectural elements transported from Europe and re-erected to form cloistered courtyards and chapels; the grounds include gardens planted according to medieval horticultural practice. Galleries are arranged around the cloisters and display liturgical and secular objects from the 12th through the 15th centuries.

The Cloisters sits in Fort Tryon Park in Upper Manhattan overlooking the Hudson River, accessible from northern Manhattan subway lines and pedestrian routes through the park.

• Admission: Entry is through The Metropolitan Museum of Art; the Cloisters shares Met admission pricing and hours rather than separate ticketing.
• Medieval gardens: The medieval-style gardens are planted with species and layouts documented in medieval sources and offer seasonal displays in spring and summer.

What to See #

• Reconstructed cloisters: A series of medieval cloisters and reconstructed architectural elements imported from European sites, assembled to form the museum's courtyard complexes.
• Unicorn Tapestries: A set of seven embroidered tapestries known as the Unicorn Tapestries, dated to c. 1495-1505 and among the museum's best-known objects.
• Fuentidueña Chapel: The Fuentidueña Chapel, a Romanesque apse imported from Spain and installed as a freestanding medieval chapel within the building.