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:

Monasterio Santa Clara

User Reviews

Andres Dominguez Gonzalez (2 years ago)
Me encanta lo he cuidado durante 20 años como si fuese mio pero al servicio del Obispado de Huelva

Fran MarCa (2 years ago)
Me gustó mucho la visita el monasterio es fantástico el guía lo explico todo muy bien

Pedro Piquer (2 years ago)
Maravillismo, in the long term of the world and the toaster

Juan Manuel Real Molina (3 years ago)
Ok

Melina Aguilar Colon (5 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.

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Château de Falaise is best known as a castle, where William the Conqueror, the son of Duke Robert of Normandy, was born in about 1028. William went on to conquer England and become king and possession of the castle descended through his heirs until the 13th century when it was captured by King Philip II of France. Possession of the castle changed hands several times during the Hundred Years' War. The castle was deserted during the 17th century. Since 1840 it has been protected as a monument historique.

The castle (12th–13th century), which overlooks the town from a high crag, was formerly the seat of the Dukes of Normandy. The construction was started on the site of an earlier castle in 1123 by Henry I of England, with the 'large keep' (grand donjon). Later was added the 'small keep' (petit donjon). The tower built in the first quarter of the 12th century contained a hall, chapel, and a room for the lord, but no small rooms for a complicated household arrangement; in this way, it was similar to towers at Corfe, Norwich, and Portchester, all in England. In 1202 Arthur I, Duke of Brittany was King John of England's nephew, was imprisoned in Falaise castle's keep. According to contemporaneous chronicler Ralph of Coggeshall, John ordered two of his servants to mutilate the duke. Hugh de Burgh was in charge of guarding Arthur and refused to let him be mutilated, but to demoralise Arthur's supporters was to announce his death. The circumstances of Arthur's death are unclear, though he probably died in 1203.

In about 1207, after having conquered Normandy, Philip II Augustus ordered the building of a new cylindrical keep. It was later named the Talbot Tower (Tour Talbot) after the English commander responsible for its repair during the Hundred Years' War. It is a tall round tower, similar design to the towers built at Gisors and the medieval Louvre.Possession of the castle changed hands several times during the Hundred Years' War. The castle was deserted during the 17th century. Since 1840, Château de Falaise has been recognised as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture.

A programme of restoration was carried out between 1870 and 1874. The castle suffered due to bombardment during the Second World War in the battle for the Falaise pocket in 1944, but the three keeps were unscathed.

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