Pre-trip work!

 April 29, 2025   Santa Clara-a-Velha Monastery (Old St. Clare Monastery)

On April 26, we went to Santa Clara-a-Nova, or the new Monastery of St. Clare, and I said I would post about the old St. Clare Monastery. That was our site today. 

Google AI summary of the history of the monastery:

"Dona Mor Dias was from a prominent family in Coimbra. Driven by her desire for a life dedicated to the Order of the Poor Clares, she initiated the construction of the Monastery of Santa Clara around 1283.

Initial Conflict:
The canons of Santa Cruz, who had enjoyed her financial gifts, opposed the establishment of a new female monastery, fearing that some of her wealth would be diverted to it.

Dissolution and Refoundation:
Despite her efforts, the monastery was closed in 1311 due to the ongoing conflict. Later, Queen Elizabeth of Portugal, a devout woman who was later canonized, refounded the monastery in 1314.

Monastery's Legacy:
The present Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Velha, a significant example of Portuguese Gothic architecture, stands on the site of her original foundation."

Some more history and explanation:

"The first of the two Santa Clara monasteries in Coimbra was founded in 1283 by the river. It added “a velha” (“the old”) to the name, when frequent flooding forced the construction of a new monastery nearby, the Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Nova (“the new”), in 1677.


Before that, the old monastery had been expanded in 1330, with a larger church and a new cloister. It was the resting place of Queen Saint Isabel, whose tomb was then transferred, along with the nuns, to the new building. It was left abandoned and the floods deteriorated it inside and out for centuries, until 1995, when it was decided that, as a National Monument, it should be restored. The careful restoration lasted until 2008, and a museum opened a year later, with archaeological finds and displays explaining the architectural and historical significance of the monument."

The view on approach from the street. 

The side that faces the two cloisters (courtyards).

A historical model of the monastery. They only excavated the cloister nearest to the church. When asked if and when the rest would be excavated, the museum worker said it would take too much time and money and they have no plans to do it.

How it looked in 1995, before restoration begun.

During restoration.

The entrance door for the lay, or non-religious, members.

Looking towards the front of the church.

Old tomb of a lay person.

A side aisle looking towards the back of church where the dividing wall separates the cloistered nuns from the lay people.

Here, you can see all the way to the back of church through an opening in the separation wall that would have had a door over it. Clare is in a light blue fleece. See how far away she is?

Under the brown steps are the original stairs leading to the choir.

A view from the upper story.

With continual flooding, they built an upper story. This brown floor was installed with the 1995 restoration.

This arch was added when Queen Isabel (Elizabeth of Portugal) was being canonized (publicly recognized a saint by the church).

A view of the cloister from the upper story.

The afternoon was spent relaxing down on the street with our boba tea and people watching. We also began packing for tomorrows travel day to Scotland.

Clare enjoying boba tea.

When your mother buys you the same pair of pants at Aldi. (And they thought their days of being dressed alike were over!  Mwahahaha! 😄)

Eating in the apartment.