Monastery of St. Clare of Moguer

Moguer, Spain

The Monastery of Santa Clara in Moguer is one of the most important examples of the mudejar architecture in occidental Andalusia. It was founded in 1337 by Sir Alonso Jofre Tenorio, an Admiral from Castile and his wife Lady Elvira Álvarez. It was a donation from Alfonso XI in 1333. It was for Franciscan- Clarisa Nuns.

The monastery was built in a place next to the villa called “Santa Clara Country”, which was integrated in the urban area thanks to the new urban tendency from the end of the 15th century and the growth of demographic population. During centuries, it had influence on the social, economic, cultural and religious life of the region.

Their patrons, “Los Portocarrero”, were connected to it; in fact, some feminine members of this family became members of the monacal community and the conventual church was a family Pantheon.

The fame and prestige achieved by the monastery made it a point of reference between the 14th and 17th centuries which was a period of expansion for other monasteries of the same religious order in Andalusia. Sister Inés Enriquez with other two sisters left the monastery in Moguer to join Maria Coronel in the foundation of the Monastery of Santa Inés in Seville in 1374. She also helped in the reforms of the Santa Clara Monastery in Cordoba with Sister Catalina de Figueroa, Sister Isabel Pacheco and Sister María de Toledo, a daughter of the Counts of La Puebla, and they also reformed the monastery of Santa Clara in Jaén.

References:

Comments

Your name

Website (optional)


Address

Plaza de las Monjas 1, Moguer, Spain
See all sites in Moguer

Details

Founded: 1337
Category: Religious sites in Spain

More Information

www.monasteriodesantaclara.com

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

Interesting Sites Nearby


San Francisco Monastery (0,2 km)
Moguer Castle (0,2 km)


Santiago Castle (70,4 km)
Huelva Cathedral (10,1 km)
La Rábida Friary (10,8 km)
Niebla Castle (17,2 km)
Castle of Los Zúñiga (28,1 km)

User Reviews

Andres Dominguez Gonzalez (13 months ago)
Me encanta lo he cuidado durante 20 años como si fuese mio pero al servicio del Obispado de Huelva
Fran MarCa (14 months ago)
Me gustó mucho la visita el monasterio es fantástico el guía lo explico todo muy bien
Pedro Piquer (14 months ago)
Maravillismo, in the long term of the world and the toaster
Juan Manuel Real Molina (2 years ago)
Ok
Melina Aguilar Colon (4 years ago)
A must visit! So much history in this place, much connected to Christopher Columbus, who came to pray at this monastery after returning from his first trip in 1493. The oldest monastery in Huelva, the ticket includes a one-hour guided tour (I think only in Spanish though) from a well-knowledge local guide. You will earn more respect for this place and the history of Moguer.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Most beautiful castles in Lithuania
Photo from Flickr, copyright Makser

Historic Site of the week

Derbent Fortress

Derbent is the southernmost city in Russia, occupying the narrow gateway between the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus Mountains connecting the Eurasian steppes to the north and the Iranian Plateau to the south. Derbent claims to be the oldest city in Russia with historical documentation dating to the 8th century BCE. Due to its strategic location, over the course of history, the city changed ownership many times, particularly among the Persian, Arab, Mongol, Timurid, Shirvan and Iranian kingdoms.

Derbent has archaeological structures over 5,000 years old. As a result of this geographic peculiarity, the city developed between two walls, stretching from the mountains to the sea. These fortifications were continuously employed for a millennium and a half, longer than any other extant fortress in the world.

A traditionally and historically Iranian city, the first intensive settlement in the Derbent area dates from the 8th century BC. The site was intermittently controlled by the Persian monarchs, starting from the 6th century BC. Until the 4th century AD, it was part of Caucasian Albania which was a satrap of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. In the 5th century Derbent functioned as a border fortress and the seat of Sassanid Persians. Because of its strategic position on the northern branch of the Silk Route, the fortress was contested by the Khazars in the course of the Khazar-Arab Wars. In 654, Derbent was captured by the Arabs.

The Sassanid fortress does not exist any more, as the famous Derbent fortress as it stands today was built from the 12th century onward. Derbent became a strong military outpost and harbour of the Sassanid empire. During the 5th and 6th centuries, Derbent also became an important center for spreading the Christian faith in the Caucasus.

The site continued to be of great strategic importance until the 19th century. Today the fortifications consist of two parallel defence walls and Naryn-Kala Citadel. The walls are 3.6km long, stretching from the sea up to the mountains. They were built from stone and had 73 defence towers. 9 out of the 14 original gates remain.

In Naryn-Kala Citadel most of the old buildings, including a palace and a church, are now in ruins. It also holds baths and one of the oldest mosques in the former USSR.

In 2003, UNESCO included the old part of Derbent with traditional buildings in the World Heritage List.

Map Top Sights Tags Historical Periods City Guides About Us Sign Up Upload new site
© 2020 SpottingHistory.com. All rights reserved.