The Royal Monastery of Saint Clare (''Monasterio de Santa Clara la Real'') is a monastery of the

Poor Clares The Poor Clares, officially the Order of Saint Clare (Latin language, Latin: ''Ordo Sanctae Clarae''), originally referred to as the Order of Poor Ladies, and also known as the Clarisses or Clarissines, the Minoresses, the Franciscan Clarist Or ...

located in

Murcia Murcia ( , , ) is a city in south-eastern Spain, the Capital (political), capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia, and the Ranked lists of Spanish municipalities#By population, seventh largest city i ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. Originating in the 14th century and occupying the site of a 13th century Muslim palace, it is one of the most historically significant buildings in the city. It contains remains of the Arab palace, which are among the most important examples of

Islamic art Islamic art is a part of Islamic culture and encompasses the visual arts produced since the 7th century CE by people who lived within territories inhabited or ruled by Muslims, Muslim populations. Referring to characteristic traditions across ...

in Murcia. The monastery also features a Gothic cloister and choir, as well as a

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

church. Part of the building currently houses the Museum of Santa Clara, while the western wing hosts the Las Claras Cultural Center of Caja Murcia.

History

Dar As-Sugra (12th century)

The earliest mention of the site was a recreational palace, the ''Dar As-Sugra'' located outside

's walls in ''

Arrixaca Arrixaca (later San Esteban) was an ''arrabal'' (suburb) of Murcia, although it is now in the centre of the expanded city. It is the site of the Al-Andalusian palatial complex and neighborhood of San Esteban. Etymology The name may have Basque ...

'' which had access to water from an irrigation canal running along its southern side. This was expanded by Ibn Mardanis (the Wolf King) during his reign (1147-1172). After the

Almohad The Almohad Caliphate (; or or from ) or Almohad Empire was a North African Berber Muslim empire founded in the 12th century. At its height, it controlled much of the Iberian Peninsula (Al-Andalus) and North Africa (the Maghreb). The Almohad ...

's conquered Murcia in 1172, the building fell into disuse with its paintings concealed due to Almohad religious orthodoxy.

Al-Qasr Al-Sagir (1228—1365)

During the rule of

Ibn Hud Abū ’Abd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Yūsuf ibn Hūd al-Judhamī (Arabic: محمد بن يوسف بن هود, died 1238), commonly known as Ibn Hud, was a taifa emir who controlled much of al-Andalus from 1228 to 1238. He was a descendant of the Hudi ...

, between 1228 and 1238, the previous palace was transformed into a new smaller recreational palace, the '' Al-Qasr al-Sagir''. The structure of ''Al-Qasr al-Sagir''is largely preserved in the monastery, among its most valuable archaeological elements. The ruling family also possessed the Alcázar Mayor, the primary royal residence located in the southern part of

, near the

Segura River Segura (Spanish and Valencian: ; ; , or ) is a medium-sized river in southeastern Spain. It has its source in the Sierra de Segura. Course The 325-km (202 mi) long river begins at Santiago Pontones (Jaén Province, Spain, province of J ...

. Under the Treaty of Alcaraz (1243), Murcia became a

protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a State (polity), state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over ...

of the

Crown of Castile The Crown of Castile was a medieval polity in the Iberian Peninsula that formed in 1230 as a result of the third and definitive union of the crowns and, some decades later, the parliaments of the kingdoms of Kingdom of Castile, Castile and Kingd ...

, retaining autonomy for its Muslim population and the main palace was occupied by a Christian garrison, making Al-Qasr al-Sagir the primary residence of the Muslim Murcian royal family. Murcia was permanently incorporated into Castile after a Muslim revolt and the palace became a royal residence hosting royal visitors when they were in the

Kingdom of Murcia After roughly two decades as a protectorate of the Crown of Castile, the territory of the Taifa of Murcia became the Kingdom of Murcia (, a territorial jurisdiction of the Crown of Castile) in the wake of its Conquest of Murcia (1265–66), conq ...

with the palace estate subdivided among various royal beneficiaries.

Monastery of the Poor Clares (1365–present)

Previously, sections of the palace had already been granted to the

Franciscans The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor being the largest conte ...

. However, in 1365,

Peter I of Castile Peter (; 30 August 133423 March 1369), called Peter the Cruel () or the Just (), was King of Castile and León from 1350 to 1369. Peter was the last ruler of the main branch of the House of Ivrea. He was excommunicated by Pope Urban V for his ...

donated his royal chambers to Abbess Berenguela de Espín and the Order of the Poor Clares, which have owned it ever since. In 1367, the nuns obtained permission from Bishop Nicolás de Aguilar to repurpose the semi-ruined palace into a convent. The old Muslim courtyard became the center of monastic life, with arcades and additional buildings gradually added. The monastery flourished at the end of the 15th century, receiving the patronage of the

Catholic Monarchs The Catholic Monarchs were Isabella I of Castile, Queen Isabella I of Crown of Castile, Castile () and Ferdinand II of Aragon, King Ferdinand II of Crown of Aragón, Aragon (), whose marriage and joint rule marked the ''de facto'' unification of ...

, which enabled the construction of the

cloister A cloister (from Latin , "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open Arcade (architecture), arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle (architecture), quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cat ...

and a new Gothic church. During the 17th century, significant renovations took place, including the construction of a new

church by Melchor de Luzón. Only the upper choir from the original Gothic church was preserved. The church was later redecorated in

Rococo Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...

style in the 18th century.

Museum of Santa Clara

The monastery houses the Museum of Santa Clara, which has two main sections: * Islamic Art and Archaeology Section - Displays architectural remains from the palace, including

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and ...

muqarnas Muqarnas (), also known in Iberian architecture as Mocárabe (from ), is a form of three-dimensional decoration in Islamic architecture in which rows or tiers of niche-like elements are projected over others below. It is an archetypal form of I ...

, and

calligraphic Calligraphy () is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instruments. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "the art of giving form to signs in an exp ...

epigraphy, along with artifacts from the

Archaeological Museum of Murcia The Archaeological Museum of Murcia (; MAM) is a State-owned archaeological museum in Murcia, Spain. History The Museum of Antiquities of Murcia was created by means of a 6 July 1864 royal order, constituted as an added section to the Museum of ...

. * Times of Silence - Showcases religious art from the monastery, including sculptures by

Francisco Salzillo Francisco Salzillo y Alcaraz (12 May 1707 – 2 March 1783Malgares Guerrero, José Antonio. XXII Jornadas de Patrimonio Cultural de la Región de Murcia (Spanish). 2011, p. 418. ) was a Spanish sculptor. He is the most representative Spanish ...

and paintings by Senén Vila.

References

Bibliography

* Rodríguez Llopis, Miguel. ''Historia de la Región de Murcia''. Tres Fronteras, Murcia, 2004. ISBN 84-7564-200-4. * Estrella Sevilla, Emilio. ''Dos siglos a la sombra de una torre''. Contraste Producciones, S.L., Murcia, 2007. ISBN 978-84-612-0451-9.

External links

* {{coord, 37.9881, -1.1304, type:landmark_region:ES, display=title Museums in the Region of Murcia Bien de Interés Cultural landmarks in the Region of Murcia Buildings and structures in Murcia Religious museums in Spain

Clare Clare may refer to: Places Antarctica * Clare Range, a mountain range in Victoria Land Australia * Clare, South Australia, a town in the Clare Valley * Clare Valley, South Australia Canada * Clare (electoral district), an electoral district * Cl ...