the MonasteryOn the year 1283, a Portuguese noble woman, Lady Mor Dias, founded
a religious community where the Monastery of Santa Clara a Velha (Saint Claire,
the Old) stands today. This community was dedicated to St Claire, a
strong sign of the popularity of the menorites (Franciscan orders) in Portugal
a mere 60 years after the recognition of the orders by the Pope in Rome. In 1314, Isabel of Aragon,
the Saint-Queen (b. 1269, married in 1282, d. 1336), married to King
Dennis, the Farmer (b. 1262, crowned in 1279, d. 1325), asked the Pope
for permission to raise a Monastery dedicated to St Claire at the same
location and in 1316 work was already in progress. The Monastery is associated to numerous episodes of the life of the Saint-Queen. The most famous is the Miracle of the Roses, which, according to the legend, occurred at a side door of the Monastery:
The master
architect of the Monastery was Domingos Domingues, who worked previously in the
Abbey of Alcobaça, 90 Km (approx. 60 miles) to the south. The architecture
style combines Roman and Gothic, the latter became widespread in Portugal during
the XIVth century. The church is composed by three naves of similar
height, without transept; the naves are divided in seven arches. Differently from
most menorite churches of the time, the three naves are topped with stone vaults. One year later, in 1331, the Mondego waters flooded the Monastery site, initiating the progressive sinking of the buildings into the moody soil. To cope with this problem a second floor plan was created at half the height of the church, taking advantage of the high naves, typical of the gothic style. Today, if the church ceiling seem to be too low and the height to length ratio is unbalanced, this is because, half the height stands below the floor plan, flooded in the swamp. In spite of all the drainage
and conservation efforts, the church and the Monastery were abandoned in 1677,
and the community of nuns transferred to Santa Clara a Nova (Saint Claire, the
New), located on the hill in front of the original Monastery, a few hundred meters
(yards) away. To know better the Monastery of Santa Clara a Velha please visit the following sites: Virtual
Reconstruction of Santa Clara a Velha | |||
©2001 João Gomes Mota | Home (Início) | Restoration works | Photographs |