The Convent of St. Clare (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

: ''Convento de Santa Clara'') is a former

cloistered A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against ...

convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglic ...

of the Order of Poor Clares, located in the city centre of

Pontevedra Pontevedra (, ) is a Spanish city in the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula. It is the capital of both the '' Comarca'' (County) and Province of Pontevedra, and of the Rías Baixas in Galicia. It is also the capital of its own municipality wh ...

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, precisely in Santa Clara Street, near the disappeared St. Clare Gate of the medieval city walls. Founded in 1271, the convent closed in 2017. In 2021 the

City Council A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...

bought the building from the Order, and in 2023 it transferred it to the Provincial Deputation to become part of the Pontevedra Museum.

History

According to tradition, a convent of the Knights Templar had previously been built on this site. The current convent was founded in 1271 and its construction, which began in 1339, was influenced by the interest of Doña Teresa Pérez de Sotomayor, daughter of the poet and aristocrat Pay Gómez Chariño. 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. 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. In the 16th and 17th centuries, additions, modifications and extensions were made to the convent. Over the centuries, the convent has seen various vicissitudes. In 1702, after the defeat of the Spanish fleet in the

Battle of Rande The Battle of Vigo Bay, also known as the Battle of Rande (; ), was a naval engagement fought on 23 October 1702 during the opening years of the War of the Spanish Succession. The engagement followed an Anglo-Dutch attempt to capture the Spanish ...

, the cloistered nuns had to leave the convent and take refuge in

Cotobade Cotobade is a former local country council in Galicia (Spain) in the province of Pontevedra. It bordered the municipalities of Campo Lameiro, Cerdedo, Forcarei, A Lama, Ponte Caldelas and Pontevedra. In 2011 its population was 4432 people, ...

. In 1719, they had to go to

Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, as the destination of the Way of S ...

, 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 The Peninsular War (1807–1814) was the military conflict fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Spain, Portugal, and the United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French Empire during the Napoleonic Wars. In Spain, ...

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 The Spanish confiscation was the Spanish government's seizure and sale of property, including from the Catholic Church, from the late 18th century to the early 20th century. It was a long historical, economic, and social process beginning with ...

, 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 Alfonso XII (Alfonso Francisco de Asís Fernando Pío Juan María de la Concepción Gregorio Pelayo; 28 November 185725 November 1885), also known as El Pacificador or the Peacemaker, was King of Spain from 29 December 1874 to his death in 1885 ...

. This emblematic building has been part of the Galician cultural heritage catalogue since 1994. 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. 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. 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. 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.

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 The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

without a

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform ("cross-shaped") building wi ...

and a

polygon In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure that is described by a finite number of straight line segments connected to form a closed ''polygonal chain'' (or ''polygonal circuit''). The bounded plane region, the bounding circuit, or the two to ...

apse In architecture, an apse (plural apses; from Latin 'arch, vault' from Ancient Greek 'arch'; sometimes written apsis, plural apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome, also known as an '' exedra''. ...

, and is covered with a fan vault. 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. The church combines Romanesque

imagery Imagery is visual symbolism, or figurative language that evokes a mental image or other kinds of sense impressions, especially in a literary work, but also in other activities such as psychotherapy. Forms There are five major types of sensory im ...

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 Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...

wall, in which the Gothic carved door, dating from the last quarter of the 14th century, shows the theme of the

Last Judgement The Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Day of Reckoning, Day of Judgment, Judgment Day, Doomsday, Day of Resurrection or The Day of the Lord (; ar, یوم القيامة, translit=Yawm al-Qiyāmah or ar, یوم الدین, translit=Yawm ad-Dīn, ...

. In the

archivolt An archivolt (or voussure) is an ornamental moulding or band following the curve on the underside of an arch. It is composed of bands of ornamental mouldings (or other architectural elements) surrounding an arched opening, corresponding to the ...

s 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. The convent has a

cloister A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against a ...

, 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 , whose enclosure wall overlooks the Barcelos Square. 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. 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 A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it. Host may also refer to: Places * Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks County People *Jim Host (born 1937), American businessman * Michel 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

In popular culture

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.

Gallery

File:Pontevedra - Convento de Santa Clara 17.jpg, Altarpiece at the high altar File:Pontevedra-PM 34402.jpg File:Pontevedra - Convento de Santa Clara 04.jpg, Portal File:Pontevedra - Convento de Santa Clara 01.jpg File:Pontevedra, convento de Santa Clara 02-04b.JPG File:Pontevedra - Convento de Santa Clara 11.jpg File:Pontevedra capital Iglesia de Santa Clara ábside.jpg File:Pontevedra, convento de Santa Clara 02-07b.JPG File:Pontevedra - Convento de Santa Clara 09.jpg File:Pontevedra, convento de Santa Clara 02-06b.JPG File:Pontevedra - Convento de Santa Clara 14.jpg File:Pontevedra, convento de Santa Clara 02-05.JPG File:Pontevedra - Convento de Santa Clara 07.jpg File:Pontevedra, convento de Santa Clara 02-08b.JPG File:Pontevedra - Convento de Santa Clara 13.jpg File:Pontevedra, convento de Santa Clara 05-03ar.jpg, Corbels File:Convento de Santa Clara de Pontevedra 01.jpg, Convent and church File:Convento de Santa Clara de Pontevedra 06.jpg, Cloister and convent File:Pontevedra, convento de Santa Clara 07-20b.jpg, Fountain in the garden File:Pontevedra, convento de Santa Clara 07-28c.jpg, Calvary

History

Description

In popular culture

Gallery

References

See also

Bibliography

Related articles

External links