Convento de Santa Clara

The Convento de Santa Clara is a convent of Poor Clares located in Teruel, in Aragon. It was founded in 1367 by the Queen of Aragon, Leonor, wife of King Peter IV. This convent is recognized as a Cultural Heritage (Bien de Interés Cultural) in the Monument category and is one of the oldest and most meritorious female convents in Teruel.




This convent has its origins in the church of Santa María de Mediavilla, which was originally Romanesque, and later remodeled in the Mudéjar style. In 1367, Queen Leonor, who was a great devotee of St. Clare of Assisi, decided to establish a convent of Poor Clares here, which was the first in Aragon.




The queen endowed the convent and granted it numerous privileges and incomes, and also brought the first nuns from the convent in Toledo. This convent was under royal patronage and enjoyed great prestige and influence in the city. In 1423, the convent received the relics of St. Clare, which are kept in a silver coffin in the main chapel.




This convent consists of a church, cloister, and convent rooms. The church is a Gothic-Mudéjar building, with three naves and a beautiful ceiling of painted wood. In the main altar, there is a painting of the Virgin Mary with the Child, the work of Juan García Martínez, and in the side chapels, you can admire paintings and sculptures from different eras.




The cloister is also Gothic-Mudéjar, with arcades and columns of brick and stone. Around the cloister, there are convent rooms, such as a refectory, kitchen, dormitory, or chapter room. The convent also houses a museum, where you can see a collection of sacred art, such as paintings, sculptures, embroideries, or liturgical vessels.