Monastery of Santa Clara or Convent of Santa Clara in Vila do Conde,

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

was one of the biggest and richest feminine convents in

, founded in 1318, by

Afonso Sanches Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic kingdom in the Iberian peninsula. ...

and his wife, Teresa Martins Telo. The large historical complex includes the Gothic Santa Clara Church (1318), nearby Manueline late Gothic constructions and the current proper monastery, built in the early phase of the neoclassical style in 1777. The Monastery is located in a hilltop and includes large walls that protect the monastery from the east and the

Santa Clara Aqueduct The Aqueduct of Santa Clara is the second largest Portuguese aqueduct system. Built between 1626 and 1714, it includes 999 arches stretching for from the spring of Terroso in the municipality of Póvoa de Varzim to the Convent of Santa Clara in ...

, the second largest aqueduct in Portugal. The monastery is considered a fundamental temple of the Portuguese Gothic architecture North of Douro river.

History

The monastery's construction began in 1318 by Afonso Sanches, bastard son of King

Denis of Portugal Denis (, ; 9 October 1261 – 7 January 1325 in Santarém), called the Farmer King (''Rei Lavrador'') and the Poet King (''Rei Poeta''), was King of Portugal. The eldest son of Afonso III of Portugal by his second wife, Beatrice of Castile, and ...

, and his wife, Teresa Martins Telo. It is thought that the Castle of the Counts of Cantanhede existed in there. In 1319, the founders donated the site to the

Clarisses The Poor Clares, officially the Order of Saint Clare ( la, Ordo sanctae Clarae) – originally referred to as the Order of Poor Ladies, and later the Clarisses, the Minoresses, the Franciscan Clarist Order, and the Second Order of Saint Francis ...

, who were responsible for the temple's architecture that remains to the present day. The internal organization of the community was established in rulings by the founders, in which they donated several villas and hamlets in

Póvoa de Varzim Póvoa de Varzim (, ) is a Portuguese city in Northern Portugal and sub-region of Greater Porto, from its city centre. It sits in a sandy coastal plain, a cuspate foreland, halfway between the Minho and Douro rivers. In 2001, there were 63,470 ...

and farms in Touginha,

Beiriz Beiriz is a suburban area in Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal. It is an ancient ecclesiastical parish and former civil parish. In the census of 2001, it had a population of 3,229 inhabitants and a total area of 4.31 km2. A 2012 law merged the paris ...

Terroso Terroso is a suburban area in Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal. It is a former civil parish currently located in União das Freguesias de Aver-o-Mar, Amorim e Terroso. It is an ancient ecclesiastical parish and former civil parish located in Póvoa ...

, Formariz,

Laundos Laundos or Laúndos is one of the seven civil parishes of Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal. The population in 2011 was 2,055,

Navais Navais is a parish and former civil parish in Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal. In the census of 2001, it had a population of 1,683 inhabitants and a total area of 4.23 km². A 2013 law amalgamated it into the new União das Freguesias de Aguçadour ...

, and Mirante, with an obligation that four chaplains would pray four masses per day honouring their founders and King Denis. In the 15th and 16th centuries, several disputes arose, due to the monastery's wealth and jurisdictions. In 1514, King Manuel granted a new charter to Povoa de Varzim, in which the financial part of the ancient royal charter was changed and created new mechanisms for the jurisdiction of the monastery. In 1516, Vila do Conde was also granted a royal charter. In 1517, the convent was reformed by the friar Francisco Lisboa, nominated by papal bull in 1515, according to requests by king Manuel I. The Abbess Joana de Meneses resisted and was obliged to move to another convent, and nuns from the Nossa Senhora da Conceição convent in Beja replaced them, including the new abbess, Isabel de Castro.

Santa Clara Church

It is a very austere and monumental building that, partly, reminds other Poor Clare's architecture in other locations in Portugal, especially in the western façade, where the

Rose window Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in Gothic cathedrals and churches. The windows are divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery. The term ''rose window'' w ...

is the only element, which is sided by two

buttress A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient buildings, as a means of providing support to act against the lateral (s ...

es. However, the interior of the building differs substantially, as it has a single nave.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Convent Of Santa Clara 1318 establishments in Europe 14th-century establishments in Portugal Religious organizations established in the 1310s Santa Clara Vila do Conde Christian monasteries established in the 14th century Monastery Santa Cruz Vila do Conde

History

Santa Clara Church

See also

References

Bibliography