Convento de Santa Clara la Real, Toledo facts for kids
The Convento de Santa Clara la Real is a special place where nuns of the Poor Clares order live. It's located in the beautiful city of Toledo, in Castile-La Mancha, Spain. This convent was started in the mid-1300s by a noblewoman from Toledo named María Meléndez. It's close to other important monasteries in the city.
Contents
A Look Back: The Convent's Story
How the Poor Clares Came to Spain
In the early 1200s, kingdoms in Spain, like Aragon and Castile, joined a big religious movement called the "Western Crusade." This time brought a special kind of religious feeling to the area.
Francis of Assisi, a very famous saint, traveled to Spain. His visits led to many Franciscan groups starting up. In fact, so many started that a special Franciscan area was created for Spain in 1217. These groups, called Friars Minor, helped spread their beliefs. They founded convents and encouraged people to join the religious movement. Their simple way of life inspired many, even kings! Ferdinand III of Castile, who ruled from 1217 to 1252, was a big supporter of the Franciscans.
Spain was one of the first countries, after Italy, to welcome the Poor Clares. This was because the Franciscan ideas appealed to both men and women. The Poor Clares started in Spain around 1227, while Saint Clare herself was still alive. They grew quickly, setting up about fifty monasteries across Spain during that century.
The First Convent in Toledo
The very first Poor Clares came to Toledo during the lifetime of St. Clare of Assisi. They were sometimes called Dianians, named after the first convent in Assisi. They settled outside Toledo, in an area called Santa Susana. At that time, Toledo had a rule that no new monasteries could be built inside the city walls. This was because there wasn't much space, and the city was already very crowded.
These early nuns in Toledo followed the Rule of Saint Benedict and were guided by the Franciscans. They lived a life similar to Saint Clare's teachings. Their first convent was dedicated to Saint Mary and Saint Damian. Some historians believe it was founded around 1250, with permission from the archbishop of Toledo, Rodrigo Jiménez de Rada. However, other historians suggest it was earlier, perhaps by 1247, as the archbishop passed away that year. The convent was definitely mentioned in a document from 1248.
The Pope at the time, Innocent IV, officially approved the founding of this convent in 1254.
Later, in 1345, a new rule in Toledo said that no one should live outside the city walls. But the Poor Clares couldn't move because they were very poor and didn't have the money to build a new place inside the city. So, they had to stay outside the walls for over a hundred years, dealing with the difficulties of living there.
A New Home: The Convent of Santa Clara la Real
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 Suer Téllez de Meneses, a chief officer of the city. After her husband passed away in 1360, María Meléndez began working to create a new convent for the Poor Clares inside Toledo's walls.
On August 31, 1368, María Meléndez officially gave her own houses in Toledo to the Poor Clares. This was to be the site for their new convent. She also bought more land next to it in 1370.
By 1370, documents show that the new Convent of Santa Clara already existed within the city. That same year, María Meléndez herself became a nun in the convent.
On June 27, 1371, Pope Gregory XI sent a special letter from Avignon. This letter gave María Meléndez permission to build a convent for thirty Poor Clare nuns in Toledo. It also said the convent's church should have a bell tower and bells. The head nun, Sancha Alfonso, promised to pay taxes to the Archbishop of Toledo.
The convent of Santa Clara was officially established on June 13, 1373. María Meléndez gave the convent her houses inside the walled city and all her belongings. This was so the nuns could build a convent big enough for thirty nuns and have enough money to support themselves. She even added more to her gift on August 3 of that same year.
See also
In Spanish: Convento de Santa Clara la Real (Toledo) para niños
