Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Nova
Encyclopedia
The Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Nova is a monastery
in Coimbra
, Portugal
. It was built to replace the mediaeval Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Velha
, located nearby, which at the time was prone to frequent flooding by the waters of the Mondego river. The monastery was built in the 17th and 18th centuries and is classified as a National Monument
. It is located in the Santa Clara
parish
.
The feminine Monastery of Santa Clara of Coimbra was founded in the early 14th century near the river Mondego by Queen Elizabeth
, wife of King Dinis I. The queen was greatly admired during and after her life for her pious and generous nature, and was canonised in the 17th century.
Through the centuries, the church and monastic buildings were repeatedly flooded by the Mondego. In the 17th century, under the rule of King John IV
, it was decided that a new monastery was to be built for the religious community. Construction works began in 1649, and the church was finished by 1696. All nun
s as well as the Gothic tombs of Queen Elizabeth and other royal princesses were transferred to the new monastery, thereby called "Santa Clara-a-Nova" (Saint Clare-the-New).
The project of the monastery was entrusted to Father João Turriano, a benedictine
monk and royal engineer, who conceived the ensembe in the simple Mannerist style of 17th century Portugal. Construction works were led by royal architect Mateus do Couto. The church, consecrated in 1696, is of rectangular floorplan, has a single-aisle
d nave
and lacks a transept
. The interior is illuminated by a series of windows (clerestory
) located on the second storey of the nave.
The side chapels and main chapel house a total of 14 altarpiece
s of gilt woodwork (talha dourada) from the late 17th-century style. The main altarpiece, in particular, is an outstanding example of the so-called "national" style (estilo nacional). This altarpiece incorporates the tomb of the Saint Queen Elizabeth, founder of the monastery, made of silver and crystal, encharged in 1614 to artisans Domingos Lopes and Manuel Moreira. The statue of the Saint Queen Elizabeth
is a 19th century work by sculptor António Teixeira Lopes
.
The main portal to the church, decorated with the royal coat of arms
held by two angels, is located at the south façade, as was typical for feminine convents in Portugal. The gate of the convent is a late Baroque work of 1761 attributed to Hungarian
architect Carlos Mardel. Mardel is also credited for having designed at least part of the two-storey cloisters of the convent, a masterpiece of Portuguese Baroque architecture
.
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
in Coimbra
Coimbra
Coimbra is a city in the municipality of Coimbra in Portugal. Although it served as the nation's capital during the High Middle Ages, it is better-known for its university, the University of Coimbra, which is one of the oldest in Europe and the oldest academic institution in the...
, Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
. It was built to replace the mediaeval Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Velha
Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Velha
The ruins of the Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Velha are located in the city of Coimbra, in Portugal. The monastery was built in the 14th century on the left bank of the Mondego River, but had to be abandoned in the 17th century due to frequent floods...
, located nearby, which at the time was prone to frequent flooding by the waters of the Mondego river. The monastery was built in the 17th and 18th centuries and is classified as a National Monument
Monuments of Portugal
The Monuments of Portugal were constructed throughout the Portuguese territory, and date back to the period of pre-historic settlement of occupation. Subsequently, the region that is today Portugal has been colonized by many civilizations, which have left marks in the territory, constructing...
. It is located in the Santa Clara
Santa Clara, Coimbra
Santa Clara is a Portuguese parish in the municipality of Coimbra. It has a population of 9637 and an area of 9.77 km². It is an urban parish, in the city Coimbra, and on the south of the Mondego river....
parish
Freguesia
Freguesia is the Portuguese term for a secondary local administrative unit in Portugal and some of its former colonies, and a former secondary local administrative unit in Macau, roughly equivalent to an administrative parish. A freguesia is a subdivision of a concelho, the Portuguese synonym term...
.
The feminine Monastery of Santa Clara of Coimbra was founded in the early 14th century near the river Mondego by Queen Elizabeth
Elizabeth of Aragon
Elizabeth of Aragon, also known as Saint Elizabeth of Portugal, T.O.S.F. , was queen consort of Portugal, a tertiary of the Franciscan Order and is venerated as a saint of the Roman Catholic Church.-Biography:Elizabeth was a descendant of one of the most powerful families in Europe:...
, wife of King Dinis I. The queen was greatly admired during and after her life for her pious and generous nature, and was canonised in the 17th century.
Through the centuries, the church and monastic buildings were repeatedly flooded by the Mondego. In the 17th century, under the rule of King John IV
John IV of Portugal
|-|John IV was the King of Portugal and the Algarves from 1640 to his death. He was the grandson of Catherine, Duchess of Braganza, who had in 1580 claimed the Portuguese crown and sparked the struggle for the throne of Portugal. John was nicknamed John the Restorer...
, it was decided that a new monastery was to be built for the religious community. Construction works began in 1649, and the church was finished by 1696. All nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
s as well as the Gothic tombs of Queen Elizabeth and other royal princesses were transferred to the new monastery, thereby called "Santa Clara-a-Nova" (Saint Clare-the-New).
The project of the monastery was entrusted to Father João Turriano, a benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
monk and royal engineer, who conceived the ensembe in the simple Mannerist style of 17th century Portugal. Construction works were led by royal architect Mateus do Couto. The church, consecrated in 1696, is of rectangular floorplan, has a single-aisle
Aisle
An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of seats on both sides or with rows of seats on one side and a wall on the other...
d nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
and lacks a transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
. The interior is illuminated by a series of windows (clerestory
Clerestory
Clerestory is an architectural term that historically denoted an upper level of a Roman basilica or of the nave of a Romanesque or Gothic church, the walls of which rise above the rooflines of the lower aisles and are pierced with windows. In modern usage, clerestory refers to any high windows...
) located on the second storey of the nave.
The side chapels and main chapel house a total of 14 altarpiece
Altarpiece
An altarpiece is a picture or relief representing a religious subject and suspended in a frame behind the altar of a church. The altarpiece is often made up of two or more separate panels created using a technique known as panel painting. It is then called a diptych, triptych or polyptych for two,...
s of gilt woodwork (talha dourada) from the late 17th-century style. The main altarpiece, in particular, is an outstanding example of the so-called "national" style (estilo nacional). This altarpiece incorporates the tomb of the Saint Queen Elizabeth, founder of the monastery, made of silver and crystal, encharged in 1614 to artisans Domingos Lopes and Manuel Moreira. The statue of the Saint Queen Elizabeth
Elizabeth of Aragon
Elizabeth of Aragon, also known as Saint Elizabeth of Portugal, T.O.S.F. , was queen consort of Portugal, a tertiary of the Franciscan Order and is venerated as a saint of the Roman Catholic Church.-Biography:Elizabeth was a descendant of one of the most powerful families in Europe:...
is a 19th century work by sculptor António Teixeira Lopes
António Teixeira Lopes
António Teixeira Lopes was a Portuguese sculptor.Teixeira Lopes was the son of sculptor José Joaquim Teixeira Lopes and started learning his art in his father's workshop...
.
The main portal to the church, decorated with the royal coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
held by two angels, is located at the south façade, as was typical for feminine convents in Portugal. The gate of the convent is a late Baroque work of 1761 attributed to Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
architect Carlos Mardel. Mardel is also credited for having designed at least part of the two-storey cloisters of the convent, a masterpiece of Portuguese Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
.