Convento de la Natividad y San José facts for kids
The Convent of the Nativity and Saint Joseph (also known as the Convent of the Baronesses) was a special building in Madrid, Spain. It was a home for Carmelite nuns, who are a type of Catholic sister. The convent was located on a street called Calle de Alcalá.
The building was designed by a master builder named Juan de Lobera. He started building it in the mid-1600s. His son-in-law, Juan de Pineda, finished the work in the year 1700. Sadly, the convent was torn down in 1836. This happened because of a government action that took away many church properties. After it was demolished, the land where it stood was sold.
History of the Convent
This convent was founded by a woman named Beatriz de Silveyra. She was also known as the Baroness of Castel Florido. She loaned a piece of land for the convent to be built. This land is now across from the Círculo de Bellas Artes building in Madrid.
The convent was meant to be a home for forty nuns. People often called it "the Baronesses' convent" because of its founder. Beatriz de Silveyra bought the land using money her husband, Jorge Paz de Silveyra, left when he passed away. Before the convent, there was an old inn called the Mesón del Toro on this spot.
Juan de Lobera was chosen to build the convent. He was a master builder, but he died in 1680 while the building was still being constructed. The Baroness herself had passed away even earlier, in 1660. The convent was finally completed in 1700. It operated for a little over a century. Then, in 1836, it was demolished. A new building, the Palacio del Marqués de Casa Riera, was later built on the same site. People often called this new building the "house of the pins."
See also
- Catholic Church in Spain
