Saint Clare's Convent (Pontevedra)

Last updated
Former Saint Clare's Convent
Antiguo Convento de Santa Clara
Pontevedra - Convento de Santa Clara 18.jpg
The apse of the church
Saint Clare's Convent (Pontevedra)
General information
TypeChurch and Convent
Architectural style Gothic
Location Pontevedra, Spain
Current tenants Pontevedra Museum
Groundbreaking1271
Website
museo.depo.gal/en/

The Convent of St. Clare (Spanish: Convento de Santa Clara) is a former cloistered convent of the Order of Poor Clares, located in the city centre of Pontevedra, Spain, precisely in Santa Clara Street, near the disappeared St. Clare Gate of the medieval city walls. Founded in 1271, the convent closed in 2017. [1] In 2021 the City Council bought the building from the Order, and in 2023 it transferred it to the Provincial Deputation to become part of the Pontevedra Museum.

Contents

History

According to tradition, a convent of the Knights Templar had previously been built on this site. The current convent was founded in 1271 [2] and its construction, which began in 1339, [3] was influenced by the interest of Doña Teresa Pérez de Sotomayor, daughter of the poet and aristocrat Pay Gómez Chariño. [4] The first documented reference to a community of nuns under the invocation of St Clare dates from 1293. The construction of the church was extended over the centuries. In fact, the chevet had not yet been completed in 1362. [5]

Thanks to numerous private donations, the church was enlarged in the 14th and 15th centuries. The convent was also extended and became a favourite retreat for unmarried noble daughters. [4] In the 16th and 17th centuries, additions, modifications and extensions were made to the convent. [5] Over the centuries, the convent has seen various vicissitudes. In 1702, after the defeat of the Spanish fleet in the Battle of Rande, the cloistered nuns had to leave the convent and take refuge in Cotobade. In 1719, they had to go to Santiago de Compostela, fleeing the English invasion led by General Homobod, which razed the town to the ground and burnt down its most important buildings. Later, during the Spanish War of Independence against the French, they had to flee for eight months, and on their return the convent had been looted and part of it burned. After the Spanish confiscation, they had to leave the convent in 1868. At that time, the convent was occupied by the children of the hospice, until it was returned to the nuns on 1 October 1875, thanks to negotiations between the archbishop of Santiago de Compostela, Miguel Payá y Rico, and King Alfonso XII. [6]

This emblematic building has been part of the Galician cultural heritage catalogue since 1994. [7] The convent was closed on 25 September 2017 due to the lack of religious vocations and the advanced age of the few nuns still residing there. [8]

On 1 December 2021, the City Council of Pontevedra bought the convent from the Poor Clares for €3.2 million and it became municipal property. [6] On 3 January 2023, the City Council transferred the complex to the Provincial Deputation retaining the right of public use of the gardens and the forest. The Deputation will integrate the convent into the Pontevedra Museum as its seventh building after a comprehensive restoration. [9] On 3 January 2023 the Pontevedra City Council officially ceded the property of the convent to the Pontevedra Provincial Council so that it could become part of the Pontevedra Museum as the institution's seventh building. [10] [11] [12]

On 9 June 2023, the architects Nieto & Sobejano's preliminary design for the restoration of the convent as the home of the museum was selected. The highlights of the project are a subtle enclosure of the cloister, a reception area under a large canopy in the middle of the estate and the creation of a three-storey, semi-buried archaeological area on the east side. The reception area in the middle of the estate will be transformed into a belvedere overlooking the cloister, making it possible to organise all the circulation and distribution of uses, as well as the organisation of the spaces. [13] [14]

Description

The church dates mainly from the 14th century. The construction follows the Gothic model of the church of St. Francis, although it is simpler. It has a single large rectangular nave without a transept and a polygonal apse, and is covered with a fan vault. [15] It has three large windows in the interior and there are important Baroque altarpieces. The main altar dates from 1730 in the Churrigueresque Baroque style. Also from the 18th century are the two neoclassical side altarpieces. There is another baroque altarpiece with the image of the Virgen de los Desamparados. The interior of the church also has an organ from 1795 and a reliquary of San Vicente Mártir at the foot of the main altar. [16] The church combines Romanesque imagery in its corbels with an ogival Gothic style in its architecture.

On the outside, renovated during the Baroque period, the only thing that can be seen is the two-door Gospel wall, in which the Gothic carved door, dating from the last quarter of the 14th century, shows the theme of the Last Judgement. [1] In the archivolts can be seen the bust of Christ the Judge showing his wounds, Saint Peter with the keys or an angel playing the trumpet, among other figures. The building adjacent to the convent was built in 1880 to serve as the summer residence of the archbishop, Cardinal Quiroga Palacios. [17]

The convent has a cloister, with a garden in the shape of a cross, a calvary and a fountain in the style of the one in Herrería Square. At the back of the convent there is a large garden of 12,000 square metres (130,000 sq ft), whose enclosure wall overlooks the Barcelos Square. [18] In the exterior chapel located in the garden there is a 15th-century polychrome tympanum depicting the Virgin and child flanked by Saint Clare and Saint Francis. [16]

The cloister has only two sides. In the centre there is a stone fountain crowned by the figure of St Clare, carrying an olive branch and a host. The convent also has an orchard and a garden dominated by apple, plum, hazelnut and chestnut trees. In the centre of the garden is the small Chapel of the Angels [19]

The bride and groom would come to the convent to bring eggs and other offerings to try to secure the sun on their wedding day. [19] [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pontevedra</span> Municipality in Galicia, Spain

Pontevedra is a city in the autonomous community of Galicia, in northwestern Spain. It is the capital of both the Comarca and Province of Pontevedra, and the capital of the Rías Baixas. It is also the capital of its own municipality which is often considered an extension of the actual city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basilica of Saint Mary Major (Pontevedra)</span> Gothic and renaissance basilica in Pontevedra, Spain

The Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Pontevedra, Spain, is a catholic church, dating from the 16th century, and consecrated as a basilica on January 10, 1962, by decree of Pope John XXIII. It is currently considered a BIC. It was declared a historic-artistic monument belonging to the National Artistic Treasure by decree of 3 June 1931.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Church of the Pilgrim Virgin</span> Baroque and neoclassical church in Pontevedra, Spain

The church of the Pilgrim Virgin is a scallop-shaped Roman Catholic chapel located in the city of Pontevedra, in Spain, along the route of the Portuguese Way of St. James.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pontevedra City Hall</span> Eclectic City Hall in Pontevedra, Spain

The Pontevedra City Hall in Pontevedra, Spain, is the seat of the city council of this Galician city. It is located at the eastern end of the Alameda de Pontevedra, on the edge of the old town. To the west it opens onto the pedestrian España Square.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pontevedra Museum</span> Museum in Pontevedra, Spain

The Pontevedra Museum is a museum in the Galician city of Pontevedra in Spain. It was founded by the Provincial Deputation of Pontevedra on 30 December 1927 and has six buildings for its exhibitions. It has permanent and temporary exhibition rooms. The museum's collections are multidisciplinary, classified into rooms for painting, sculpture, archaeology, decorative arts, engraving and ethnography.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palm Trees Park</span> Park in Pontevedra (Spain)

The Palm Trees Park, also known simply as Las Palmeras, is a public park in the heart of Pontevedra in Spain. It is the most representative and emblematic green area in the city centre, together with the Alameda de Pontevedra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Praza da Ferrería</span> Medieval square in Pontevedra, Spain

The Praza da Ferrería is a large square located on the edge of the old town of Pontevedra (Spain), inside the old city walls. It is the main square of the old town and has an area of about 2,000 m2. It includes the small squares of the Estrella on the north side, the Orense square on the south side and the Casto Sampedro square on the east side, making a total of almost 5,000 m2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mendoza Mansion</span> Eclectic mansion in Pontevedra, Spain

The Mendoza mansion is a building located between Santa María Avenue and Arzobispo Malvar Street, at the western end of the old town of Pontevedra. It is currently the headquarters of the Rias Bajas Tourist Office.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pazo de Lourizán</span> Art Nouveau Building in Pontevedra, Spain

The Palace of Lourizán is a manor house in Herbalonga in the civil parish of Lourizán, in Pontevedra, Spain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walls of Pontevedra</span> Walls remnants in the city of Pontevedra, Spain

The walls of Pontevedra were a fortification of the city of Pontevedra (Spain), which disappeared for the most part towards the end of the 19th century, although some remains are still visible, the most important being the crenellated section in Arzobispo Malvar Street. This complete section, approximately 40 metres long, can be accessed from the gardens of the two buildings on the west side of Santa María Avenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">College of the Society of Jesus in Pontevedra</span> Former Baroque Jesuit College in Pontevedra, Spain

The former College of the Jesuits is an 18th-century baroque building located in Sarmiento Street in the heart of the old town of Pontevedra, Spain. A secondary educational institution founded by the Jesuits in 1695, the building is known today as the Sarmiento Building and is one of the seats of the Pontevedra Museum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edificio administrativo de la Xunta de Galicia (Pontevedra)</span> Administrative complex in Pontevedra, Spain

The Administrative building of the Xunta de Galicia in Pontevedra is an office complex designed to house the various public services of the Galician Government in Pontevedra, Spain. The building houses many of the Galician administration's departments and was designed by the architects Manuel Gallego Jorreto and Jacobo Rodríguez-Losada Allende.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Town of Pontevedra</span> Neighbourhood in Pontevedra, Spain

The historic centre of Pontevedra (Spain) is the oldest part of the city. It is the second most important old town in Galicia after Santiago de Compostela, and was declared a historic-artistic complex on 23 February 1951.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Convent and church of Saint Francis, Pontevedra</span> Gothic church in Pontevedra, Spain

The Convent of St. Francis is a Franciscan convent located in the city centre of Pontevedra (Spain), overlooking the Plaza de la Herrería. The Gothic church of San Francis is attached to the convent on the southeast side.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plaza de España (Pontevedra)</span> Square in Pontevedra, Spain

The Plaza de España is a 19th century pedestrian square located in the city centre of Pontevedra (Spain), on the edge of the old town and the Alameda de Pontevedra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plaza de Barcelos</span> Square in Pontevedra, Spain

The Plaza de Barcelos is a square dating from the beginning of the 20th century located in the city centre of Pontevedra (Spain), to the east of the historic centre of Pontevedra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mansion of the Marquis of Riestra</span> Eclectic building in Pontevedra, Spain

The Marquis of Riestra's mansion is an eclectic building with art Nouveau elements from the late 19th century located at 30 Michelena Street in Pontevedra, Spain. It currently houses the main central administrative services of the City Council of Pontevedra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sanctuary of the Apparitions</span> Sanctuary in Pontevedra, Spain

The Sanctuary of the Apparitions is a Catholic convent and sanctuary located in Pontevedra, Spain. According to Sister Lúcia, it was here that the child Jesus and the Virgin Mary appeared to her in 1925-1926 and revealed to her the First Saturdays Devotion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plaza Alonso de Fonseca</span> Medieval square in Pontevedra, Spain

Alonso de Fonseca Square is a medieval square located in the historic centre of the city of Pontevedra (Spain), opposite the Basilica of Saint Mary Major.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Calle Marqués de Riestra</span> Street in Pontevedra, Spain

The Marquis of Riestra street is a central street in the Spanish city of Pontevedra, in the first expansion zone of the city in the 19th century, running longitudinally parallel to the Palm Trees Park on its eastern side. It is one of the main streets in Pontevedra city centre.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Tres siglos para acabar el convento y casi 800 años de Clarisas en la ciudad". Diario de Pontevedra (in Spanish). 7 May 2021.
  2. ↑ "Las clarisas dejan Pontevedra tras ocho siglos y el convento de Santa Clara queda cerrado". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). 26 September 2017.
  3. ↑ "El convento de Santa Clara al descubierto: 750 años de historia en el corazón de Pontevedra". El Español (in Spanish). 26 December 2021.
  4. 1 2 "La adquisición de Santa Clara por el Concello de Pontevedra garantiza su uso público". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). 7 May 2021.
  5. 1 2 "El convento de Santa Clara al descubierto: 750 años de historia en el corazón de Pontevedra". El Español (in Spanish). 26 December 2021.
  6. 1 2 "Santa Clara y Pontevedra, 750 años mirándose". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). 14 December 2021.
  7. ↑ "La Covid-19 frena la conversión del convento de Santa Clara en geriátrico". Diario de Pontevedra (in Spanish). 1 June 2020.
  8. ↑ "El abandono tras el cierre del convento de Santa Clara se nota ya en el exterior". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). 4 November 2018.
  9. ↑ Alonso, Serafín (3 January 2023). "Santa Clara stays in the best possible hands". Diario de Pontevedra (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  10. ↑ "El alcalde Lores entrega las siete llaves del convento de Santa Clara". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). 5 January 2023.
  11. ↑ "El 3 de enero el Concello entregará el convento de Santa Clara a la Deputación". Pontevedra Viva (in Spanish). 26 December 2022.
  12. ↑ "El Concello cede a la Deputación la propiedad del antiguo convento de Santa Clara". Diario de Pontevedra (in Spanish). 3 January 2023.
  13. ↑ "Nieto & Sobejano ganan el concurso de la rehabilitación de Santa Clara". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). 10 June 2023.
  14. ↑ "Las claves de Santa Clara: un acceso que funciona de mirador hacia el claustro y distribuye espacios". Diario de Pontevedra (in Spanish). 10 June 2023.
  15. ↑ "El convento de Santa Clara. Historia y curiosidades". Pontevedra Viva (in Spanish). 29 September 2017.
  16. 1 2 "Los tesoros del convento de Santa Clara". Diario de Pontevedra (in Spanish). 3 May 2021.
  17. ↑ "El último guardián de los muros de Santa Clara". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). 27 June 2018.
  18. ↑ "¿Qué se puede hacer y qué no en Santa Clara?". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). 29 September 2017.
  19. 1 2 "Si te quedaste en la lista de espera para visitar Santa Clara, no pierdas este viaje virtual". Pontevedra Viva (in Spanish). 19 July 2020.

See also

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.