Convent of Santa Clara

Religious | Palma de Mallorca

The Convent of Santa Clara is located in the parish of Santa Eulàlia, between the Almudaina and Calatrava districts. When founded this convent already had a markedly urban character, and it took part in the organisation of the district. It was created in the times of Jaume I, the first stone being laid in the year 1256, and is one of the oldest female religious foundations in Palma, along with the convents of Santa Margalida and Santa Magdalena. Its architectural layout was practically defined in the 14th and 15th centuries, in spite of the fact that its interior was still under construction. The essential elements for a monastic community were built: a cloister, chapterhouse, refectory, dormitory, kitchen... In short, these elements have been maintained with few modifications, and the more modern interventions have not altered the original structure entirely. The original church building was replaced by the current, Baroque work. The Convent of Santa Clara contains a large part of the history of Mallorcan medieval art. The quality and number of specimens it houses enables one to follow the evolutionary process of Gothic painting, from the earliest Italianizing influences to the later works which, in the early 15th century, made the island’s Gothic painting a continuation of the Valencian art of the period.