The Houses of Canons -where the Museum is located- were built in 1790 to house the clergy in charge of the religious services of the collegiate church of Saint Mary of Adina until its suppression and conversion into a parish church in 1851. There are many references to Camilo José Cela's life and work in the varied, grand collections kept in the Museum: a library, a serials periodical and newspaper library, a correspondence collection of letters, manuscripts, an art gallery, etc.; as well as several personal legacies that comprise an artistic-historical trove, set which is of great value to study and learn about the development of Spanish culture in the second half of the 20th century.
In 1991, Their Majesties the King and Queen of Spain inaugurated the first of the Houses as the writer’s house-museum. Under the Nobel Prize winner’s control, who left his personal mark on every piece of furniture and every element of the Museum, the institution enlarged the headqurters progressively over the years. The last House was inaugurated in 2001, a few months before the writer passed away.
After 30 years of consolidation of the Foundation project, the current headquarters encompass five out of eight of the Houses of Canons, with a total of 11,000 m2 (3,000 of built-up area and 8,000 of the gardens).