Convento de Santa Clara (Córdoba) facts for kids
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The Convento de Santa Clara is a very old building in Córdoba, Andalusia, Spain. It used to be a convent, which is a place where nuns live and pray. Today, it is no longer used as a convent but remains an important part of the city's historic center.
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Where is the Convento de Santa Clara?
Location in Córdoba
This historic building stands in the middle of Calle del Rey Heredia. It is right on the corner of Calle Osio. The convent is less than 200 meters from the famous Great Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba.
Layers of History
The Convento de Santa Clara was built on top of even older structures. It first started as a mosque, built around the year 976 during the time of Almanzor. People believe that this mosque was built over an even older church. This church was called the Basilica of Santa Catalina and dated back to the 6th century.
Archaeologists explored the convent in the 1990s. They found no signs of people living there before the 10th-century mosque was built. They also discovered that the land between the convent and the Great Mosque-Cathedral was used as a garden after the Christian reconquest. This shows that the area inside the city walls was once used for growing food.
History of the Convent
Founding of the Convent
The Convento de Santa Clara was the very first monastery for women in Cordoba. It was established after the Reconquista, which was when Christian kingdoms took back control of Spain. The convent opened in 1256, just twenty years after Ferdinand III of Castile and his troops successfully took Cordoba in 1236. When it first opened, only eight Poor Clares nuns lived there.
For a while, the convent was also known as the Convent of Santa Isabel. This name honored Isabel of France because she had strong connections with the Spanish royal family. However, the building is still known today as the Santa Clara convent.
Changes Over Time
The convent changed a lot over the centuries. In the 16th century, it went through a major redesign. Later, in the 18th century, a beautiful Baroque style entrance was added.
The nuns left the convent in 1868. This happened because of new laws that closed many religious buildings. The nuns moved to the Convent of the Holy Cross, which was also a Poor Clares convent.
After the nuns left, the Santa Clara convent building was used for many different things. It became a place to store gunpowder, a military barracks for soldiers, and even a laundry. The City Council bought the building in the 1950s. They planned to turn it into a school.
What the Convent Looks Like
Church of St. Catherine
Inside the old convent, there is a church called the Church of St. Catherine. This church was built in the primitive prayer room. It has a slightly unusual Greek Cross shape and measures about 19.5 by 21 meters.
The eastern part of the church has remains of a mosaic. This mosaic shows designs from early Christian art. It dates back to when the Byzantine Empire controlled the city, between the years 554 and 572.
Preserved Mosque Features
Parts of the original mosque building are still visible today. These include a mihrab, which is a special niche that shows the direction of Mecca for prayer. There is also a courtyard for washing before prayers.
The mosque's minaret, which is a tall tower, was later used as a bell-tower for the convent. This minaret was recognized as a Bien de Interés Cultural (a site of cultural interest) in 1931.
Some battlements, which are parts of a castle wall, and a staircase from the mosque have also been kept. On the outside, on Calle Osio, you can still see a very old horseshoe-shaped arch. This arch is from the 10th century and was the entrance to the mosque's courtyard.
See also
In Spanish: Convento de Santa Clara (Córdoba) para niños
