in the 16th century the monastery came under the protection of the house of borgia. the duchess of gandia, maria enriquez de luna, widow of the duke giovanni borgia and daughter-in-law of the pope alexander vi, financed the monastery's enlargement such as the upper cloister of late gothic style or the medieval cistern of the orange tree patio. later, also saint francis borgia frequented the monastery and his wife, leonor de castro, lady and intimate friend of the empress isabella of portugal, spent her last days in it recovering from her ailments, where she died on march 27 of 1546.