Royal Convent of Santa Clara

Tordesillas, Spain

The Santa Clara buildings were originally built by King Alfonso XI as his palace in 1344. His son Peter the Cruel had it embellished by Mudéjar artists, beautiful works at Santa Clara, though on a much smaller scale than they did in the Alcázar of Seville. The facade, a lovely small patio, a chapel and the baths remain of Peter the Cruel's palace. Blanche de Bourbon was held here after her abandonment by Peter for María de Padilla in 1353. The former portal, blocked off now, has a particularly fine Mudéjar doorway. In 1363 he ceded Santa Clara to two of his daughters by María de Padilla. They turned it into a convent, but it retained its role as a royal palace.

Santa Clara convent's saddest association is with Joanna I Queen of Castile and Aragon, the daughter of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon, widow of Philip I of Castile and mother of his six children including Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor - popularly known as Juana la loca (Joanna the mad) - who was confined here for almost half a century until her death in 1555.

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Address

Paseo de Juana I de Castilla 8, Tordesillas, Spain
See all sites in Tordesillas

Details

Founded: 1344
Category: Religious sites in Spain

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

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User Reviews

Pandorica (2 months ago)
More than 50 years...
Consuelo Pérez Vara (3 months ago)
Me había quedado otras veces con ganas de visitarlo y hoy lo he podido hacer. Merece la pena Además muy bien explicado por la guía, ameno, sin hacerlo pesado y con un punto de humor
Carlos Rodriguez (3 months ago)
Verdadera joya de nuestra historia, muy bien explicado por la Guía oficial que nos acompaño, que además tuvo el gesto de ayudar a unos turistas franceses a explicarles en su idioma lo que no entendían, ya que la visita guiada es en español. Gran nivel de nuestros profesionales
Francisco Marcos (3 months ago)
La capilla impresionante. Muy bien conservado. Merece la pena la visita junto con la de la Casa del Tratado, a ser posible con la visita guiada de ésta última por parte de la asociación de amigos de Tordesillas.
Laín Macías (4 months ago)
Auténtica maravilla. Visita obligada si pasas por Tordesillas. El techo de la Iglesia, los vestigios de arte mudéjar y los baños árabes son una joya. Me ha gustado muchísimo. Además la guía ha sido muy amable y amena.
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