Saint Clare's Convent (Pontevedra)
The Convent of St. Clare (Spanish: "Santa Clara") is a former convent of the Order of Poor Clares, located in the city centre of Pontevedra, Spain, precisely in Santa Clara Street, near the old St. Clare Gate of the old city walls. 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 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. Over the centuries, the convent has seen various vicissitudes. In 1702, after the defeat of the Spanish fleet in the battle of Rande, the nuns had to leave the convent and take refuge in Cotobade. In 1719, the  cloistered nuns had to go to Santiago de Compostela, fleeing the English invasion of 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, the nuns 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 nuns 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. This emblematic building has been part of the Galician cultural heritage catalogue since 1994. It was closed on 25 September 2017 due to the lack of religious vocations and the advanced age of the few nuns still present in the convent. On 1 December 2021, the city council of Pontevedra bought the convent from the Poor Clares for 3.2 million euros and it became municipal property. 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. 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 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. 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. 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, 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. 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 Curiosities. 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.