Monastery of Santa Clara or Convent of Santa Clara in

Vila do Conde Vila do Conde (, ; "the Count's Town") is a municipality in the Norte Region, Portugal, Norte Region of Portugal. The population in 2011 was 79,533, in an area of 149.03 km2. The urbanized area of Vila do Conde, which includes the parishes of ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

was one of the biggest and richest feminine convents in

, founded in 1318, by Afonso Sanches and his wife, Teresa Martins Telo. The large historical complex includes the Gothic Santa Clara Church (1318), nearby Manueline late Gothic constructions and the current proper monastery, built in the early phase of the neoclassical style in 1777. The Monastery is located in a hilltop and includes large walls that protect the monastery from the east and the Santa Clara Aqueduct, the second largest aqueduct in Portugal. The monastery is considered a fundamental temple of the Portuguese Gothic architecture North of Douro river.

History

The monastery's construction began in 1318 by Afonso Sanches, bastard son of King

Denis of Portugal Denis (, ; 9 October 1261 – 7 January 1325), called the Farmer King (''Rei Lavrador'') and the Poet King (''Rei Poeta''), was King of Portugal from 1279 until his death in 1325. Dinis was the eldest son of Afonso III of Portugal by his second ...

, and his wife, Teresa Martins Telo. It is thought that the Castle of the Counts of Cantanhede existed in there. In 1319, the founders donated the site to the Clarisses, who were responsible for the temple's architecture that remains to the present day. The internal organization of the community was established in rulings by the founders, in which they donated several villas and hamlets in

Póvoa de Varzim Póvoa de Varzim () is a Portugal, Portuguese city in Norte Region, Portugal, Northern Portugal and sub-region of Greater Porto, from its city centre. It sits in a sandy coastal plain, a cuspate foreland, halfway between the Minho River, Minho ...

and farms in Touginha,

Beiriz Beiriz is a suburban area in Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal. It is an ancient ecclesiastical parish and former civil parish. In the census of 2001, it had a population of 3,229 inhabitants and a total area of 4.31 km2. A 2012 law merged the paris ...

Terroso Terroso is a suburban area in Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal. It forms part of the civil parish of Aver-o-Mar, Amorim e Terroso. It is an ancient ecclesiastical parish and former civil parish. In the census of 2001, it had a population of 2,472 in ...

, Formariz,

Laundos Laundos or Laúndos is one of the seven civil parishes of Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal. The population in 2011 was 2,055,

Navais Navais is a parish and former civil parish in Póvoa de Varzim Póvoa de Varzim () is a Portugal, Portuguese city in Norte Region, Portugal, Northern Portugal and sub-region of Greater Porto, from its city centre. It sits in a sandy coastal pl ...

, and Mirante, with an obligation that four chaplains would pray four masses per day honouring their founders and King Denis. In the 15th and 16th centuries, several disputes arose, due to the monastery's wealth and jurisdictions. In 1514, King Manuel granted a new charter to Povoa de Varzim, in which the financial part of the ancient royal charter was changed and created new mechanisms for the jurisdiction of the monastery. In 1516, Vila do Conde was also granted a royal charter. In 1517, the convent was reformed by the friar Francisco Lisboa, nominated by papal bull in 1515, according to requests by king Manuel I. The Abbess Joana de Meneses resisted and was obliged to move to another convent, and nuns from the Nossa Senhora da Conceição convent in Beja replaced them, including the new abbess, Isabel de Castro.

Santa Clara Church

It is a very austere and monumental building that, partly, reminds other Poor Clare's architecture in other locations in Portugal, especially in the western façade, where the

Rose window Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in Gothic cathedrals and churches. The windows are divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery. The term ''rose window'' wa ...

is the only element, which is sided by two

buttress A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient (typically Gothic) buildings, as a means of providing support to act ...

es. However, the interior of the building differs substantially, as it has a single nave.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Convent Of Santa Clara 1318 establishments in Europe 14th-century establishments in Portugal Santa Clara Vila do Conde Christian monasteries established in the 1310s Monastery Santa Cruz Vila do Conde

History

Santa Clara Church

See also

References

Bibliography