Convento de Santa Clara la Real, Toledo facts for kids
The Convento de Santa Clara la Real is a special place where Poor Clares nuns live. It's a convent located in the city of Toledo, Castile-La Mancha, Spain. This convent was started in the mid-1300s by a noblewoman from Toledo named María Meléndez. It's found close to other important monasteries in the city.
Contents
The Story of Santa Clara Convent
How Convents Came to Spain
In the early 1200s, different kingdoms in Spain, like Aragon and Castile, were involved in a big religious movement. This led to a special kind of religious feeling spreading across the country.
Francis of Assisi, a very famous religious leader, traveled to Spain. His visits led to many Franciscan groups being formed all over the land. In fact, by 1217, Spain had its own Franciscan Province. The Franciscan friars, known for their simple way of life, helped spread their message. They worked with leaders to encourage a religious spirit. Their way of life inspired many people to become more religious, even kings! For example, Ferdinand III of Castile (who ruled from 1217 to 1252) was a big supporter of the Franciscan Order.
Spain was one of the first places, after Italy, to welcome the Poor Clares. This was because the Franciscan ideas appealed to both men and women. The Poor Clares started arriving in Spain around 1227, while Saint Clare herself was still alive. They quickly grew, and by the end of that century, about fifty Poor Clare monasteries had been founded in Spain.
The First Convent in Toledo
The first Poor Clares came to Toledo during the lifetime of St. Clare of Assisi. At first, they were called "Dianians" because of the San Damiano convent in Assisi, Italy, where the order began. They settled outside the city of Toledo, in an area called Santa Susana. This was because Toledo's rules said that no new monasteries could be built inside the city walls. There wasn't enough space, and the city was already very crowded.
These early Poor Clares in Toledo followed the Rule of Saint Benedict for their daily lives. However, they were guided by the Franciscans and lived in a way similar to Saint Clare's teachings. This first convent was named after Saint Mary and Saint Damian. Some historians believe it was founded around 1250. However, other historians point out that the first official mention of the convent is in a document from 1248. This shows that the Poor Clares were already living in the Santa Susana Valley by then.
The Pope at the time, Innocent IV, officially approved the founding of this convent in 1254.
Later, in 1345, during the rule of Alfonso XI of Castile, a new rule for Toledo said that no one should live outside the city walls. But the Poor Clares in Toledo were very poor. They didn't have enough money to move inside the city. So, they had to keep living outside the walls for more than a hundred years, even though it was inconvenient.
The New Santa Clara Convent Inside Toledo
In the mid-1300s, a kind noblewoman from Toledo named María Meléndez decided to help. She belonged to an old family from Toledo and was married to a important official named Suer Téllez de Meneses. After her husband died in 1360, María Meléndez took the first steps to create a new Poor Clares convent inside Toledo.
On August 31, 1368, María Meléndez gave her own houses in Toledo to the Poor Clares nuns. These houses would become the site for their new convent. Then, in January 1370, she bought more land next to her houses to make the convent even bigger.
By 1370, documents already mentioned the new Santa Clara convent existing within the city. That same year, María Meléndez herself became a nun in the convent.
On June 27, 1371, Pope Gregory XI gave his official permission for María Meléndez to build a Poor Clares convent in Toledo. The Pope's letter said the convent should be big enough for thirty nuns. It also said the convent's church needed a bell tower and bells. The abbess (the head nun) of the convent promised to pay taxes to the Archbishop of Toledo.
Finally, on June 13, 1373, the Santa Clara convent was officially established. María Meléndez gave the convent all her houses inside the walled city and all her other belongings. This was so the nuns could build a proper convent and have enough money to live. On August 3 of that same year, she gave even more to the convent to make sure it was well supported.
See also
In Spanish: Convento de Santa Clara la Real (Toledo) para niños
