Before the Second Vatican Council, concelebration of the Eucharist was not permitted, so the side chapels allowed the numerous friars of San Esteban to easily celebrate the daily Eucharist. But the side chapels are above all, places where the faithful can pray comfortably. The decoration of the other side chapels is uncompleted. In that (chapel) which is dedicated to St Hyacinth of Poland, about the middle on the right side, there is a renaissance tomb with a reclining statue depicting López Fernádez de Paz. Next to this chapel is another, decorated by Antonio de Villamor, at the beginning of the 17th century, with scenes of the Passion. In it, one can see a Gothic style Calvary of wooden polychrome, and the confessional where St Teresa of Jesus used to confess her sins. In the first chapel on the left side there is a very beautiful sculpture of St John the Baptist, from the 17th century. The Annunciation by Brother Martin de Santiago, located in the middle of the nave, from column to column, is very interesting.

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The reredos of the Chapel of the Rosary is a work by Churriguera. The statue of the Virgin of the Rosary was a present from Pope Pius V. The big fresco above the triumphal arch covering this chapel, symbolizes the mystery of the Coronation of the Blessed Virgin. It is a work by Antonio Villamor.

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These reredos too, Baroque in style, are a work of art by the immediate disciples of José de Churriguera. The reredos on the left, dedicated to St Dominic de Guzman, has an excellent sculpture of the saint by Salvador Carmona. The upper painting depicting St Dominic and St Francis praying, is ascribed to Manuel Petit (or Piti), a Salamancan painter from the end of the 17th century and beginning of 18th century. Opposite this reredos is a great painting from the Rubens’ school representing Jesus on the way to the Calvary.
The reredos on the right is dedicated to St Thomas Aquinas; the saint’s sculpture is a work of José Larra Domínguez, and the paintings, work of Antonio Palomino. Opposite this altar there is an anonymous 17th century painting that symbolizes Jesus’ prayer at the Garden of Gethsemane.
Next to the beautiful Renaissance façade that leads to the processional cloister dedicated to St Joseph, there is another big Italian style painting that represents Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman.

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Curiously, José de Churruguera (1665-1725) used the vine symbol to sculpt the great Baroque reredos of the church. This was made between 1691 and 1693 under the theological influence of the Council of Trent (1545-1563), at which several theologians of the Convent participated. Since at this Council the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist was stressed - against the Protestants who denied it - the friars decided to dedicate the great central reredos to the Eucharist. Churriguera placed a big tabernacle of the Holy Sacrament in the middle of the reredos, flanked by six large Solomonic columns on which climb vines with big leaves and beautiful clusters. There is here a vine-like image of the blood of Christ. There are two statues between the Solomonic columns: one is a St Dominic de Guzman and the other of St Francis of Assisi. Crowing the whole work we can see a painting by Claudio Coello that represents the martyrdom of St Stephen.

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It is a combination of the Renaissance with a Tuscan inspiration of the style of the Italian loggias of that time. It is the work of Juan de Ribero Rada. The medallions in the spandrels are a work by the sculptor Martín Rodríguez. These were executed between 1590 and 1592. It contrasts its plain and sober style with the rich decoration of the Renaissance façade with which it forms an angle.

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There are 20 big Renaissance arches on the lower floor, but of late Gothic style. Each large window is divided by three mullions with angular capitals sculpted with grotesque, monstrous, putti (representations of naked cherubs or cupids in Renaissance art), etc… The ribbed vault, of late Gothic style is built with simple ribs that start from the decorated corbels until they intertwine.

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The pillars are decorated with medallions of Old Testament prophets, most of them now mutilated. At each angle there is a niche with illustrations of Christ’s infancy.

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On the lower floor, there are also several Baroque doors (17th c.) as well as several traces of the old cloister (13th and 14th c)

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The work was started around 1528 and completed in 1544 by Brother Martín de Santiago, a member of the Convent. The cloister consists of two floors. The lower level is a processional cloister, so, it is wide and beautifully decorated. The upper one has a functional end as it connects different parts of the Convent, although friars can also walk, talk and pray there. We may say that the lower storey is designed for community payers, especially, processions; while the upper one is a place for personal encounters with God and the brothers.

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The Chapter or chapter room is a very important place for Dominican friars since they sit there to govern democratically. The most important decisions are taken by the community gathered in a Chapter, not by the prior. The prior is bound to enforce what is decided in the Chapter. Democracy is a governing system that, in the Religious life, turns out to be slow and less effective, but it helps Dominicans to remain fraternally united and co-responsible for their governance. What is left of the ancient chapter room is a 14th century work with some repairs of the 15th and 16th centuries. There, the friars of San Esteban decided to send missionaries to America, who arrived in La Española Island in 1511. The Chapter room had two sections divided by a screen at different levels: the higher part was a chapel where the most prominent friars of the Convent were buried. There rests the mortal remains of the most illustrious Dominican theologians of the University of Salamanca: Francisco de Vitoria, Domingo de Soto, Pedro de Sotomayor, Mancio de Corpus Christi, Bartolomé de Medina … In 1634 this Chapter room ceased to be used, being replaced with a new Chapter room instead.

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You enter this room through a Baroque door, framed by grooved pilasters, an architrave, frieze and cornice, and topped by an attic having a niche with a free-standing sculpture of San Esteban (by Antonio Paz). The interior of the room has a design similar to the Sacristy and was made by the same architects: Juan Moreno and Alonso Sardina. The work was started in 1627 and finished 1634. Brother Iñigo de Brizuela, bishop of Segovia sponsored it. Its present state is incomplete because it lacks the originally designed decoration.

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This is so-called for being sponsored by Brother Domingo de Soto, the great theologian and confessor of Charles V. The work was built between 1553 and 1556. Its architect was Rodrigo Gil de Hontañón. To the beauty and greatness of this work is united a daring and revolutionary technique: the innovation consists in the lower flight of stairs supporting the others, that is, the stairs do not exert all their pressure on the walls, but these counteract their pressure. Perhaps this is the first time a construction is done following this technique. The base of the three visible flights is decorated with floral coffers. In the last flight, toward the interior, you can see a polychrome stone relief showing St Mary Magdalene lying down and meditating on a book and a skull. This saint is very important for Dominicans since she was the first to announce the resurrection of the Lord, that is, the first preacher. A rather plain ribbed vault springs from the corbels placed on the corners. Each wall is decorated with medallions.

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The sacristy is very spacious because it had to contain the many friars who were to concelebrate Mass. Its sponsor was Brother Pedro de Herrera, professor at the University of Salamanca, prior of the Convent and bishop de the Canarias, Tuy and Tarazona. On the left side is his statue in the posture of prayer and opposite is his tomb. The work was started in 1627. On its walls we can see embedded arches, grooved pilasters with Corinthian capitals, split pediments, friezes decorated with vegetable motifs, pinnacles topped by balls, and the sponsor’s coat of arms. The upper frieze consists of triglyphs and metopes that alternate with high relief consoles and sculptures. On a huge and graceful cornice rests a semi-circular vault with lunettes and is heavily decorated.

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