the Monastery

Around AD 1286, a Portuguese noble woman, Lady Mor Dias, founded a religious community where the Monastery of Santa Clara a Velha (Saint Claire, the Old) stands today. This community was dedicated to S^t Claire, a strong sign of the popularity of the menorites (Franciscan orders) in Portugal a mere 60 years after the recognition of the orders by the Pope in Rome.
There is little knowledge about the edifications erected, it is presumed they were modest. On the other hand, a legal dispute with another religious order, devoted to the Santa Cruz (Holy Cross) is clearly recorded in the royal archives. This dispute led to the extinction of the community in 1311.

In 1314, Isabel of Aragon, the Saint-Queen (b. 1269, married in 1282, d. 1336), married to King Dennis, the Farmer (b. 1262, crowned in 1279, d. 1325), asked the Pope for permission to raise a Monastery dedicated to S^t Claire at the same location and in 1316 work was already under progress.
The Queen had great appreciation for the Monastery, and she decided to have her tomb there.

The Monastery is associated to numerous episodes of the life of the Saint-Queen. The most famous is the Miracle of the Roses, which, according to the legend, occurred at a side door of the Monastery:

The King did not approve the charity activities of the Queen and he surprised her leaving the monastery stealthy by a side door with a large dark cape as used by poor people. When he saw she was concealing something underneath it, he asked:
- What are you carrying under that cloth ?
- Roses, My lord - and she opened the cape to show the pieces of bread transformed into beautiful roses.

The master architect of the Monastery was Domingos Domingues, who worked previously in the Abbey of Alcobaça, 90 Km (approx. 60 miles) to the south. The architecture style combines Roman and Gothic, the latter became widespread in Portugal during the XIV^th century. The church is composed by three naves of similar height, without transept; the naves are divided in seven arches. Differently from most menorite churches of the time, the three naves are topped with stone vaults.
The curbed ribbed vaults and the design of the arches that separate the naves are signs of Roman influence. The church is illuminated by two circular windows at both ends of the central nave and double windows in the side walls.
The church was inaugurated in 1330. Later a cloister, a chapter room and other buildings were edified, as revealed by the restoration works.

One year later, in 1331, the Mondego waters flooded the Monastery site, initiating the progressive sinking of the buildings into the moody soil. To cope with this problem a second floor plan was created at half the height of the church, taking advantage of the high naves, typical of the gothic style. Today, if the church ceiling seem to be too low and the height to length ratio is unbalanced, this is because, half the height stands below the floor plan, flooded in the swamp.

In spite of all the drainage and conservation efforts, the church and the Monastery were abandoned in 1677, and the community of nuns transferred to Santa Clara a Nova (Saint Claire, the New), located on the hill in front of the original Monastery, a few hundred meters (yards) away.
The tomb of the Saint-Queen was also transferred, although the altar where it used to stay was above the water level still in 1993.

To know better the Monastery of Santa Clara a Velha please visit the following sites:

Virtual Reconstruction of Santa Clara a Velha
by the Centro de Computação Gráfica of University of Coimbra

The landmark site on the Monastery, served by an elegant and innovative design (in 1997-98). English and Portuguese versions.

It shows models of the ruins, created from the archeological and architectural mappings that supported the restoration works. Includes detailed information about the status of the campaigns, videos, photographs and description of the archeological pieces recovered. The Portuguese version is more thorough than the English one.

Santa Clara a Velha by the Portuguese Institute of Architectural Heritage

An institutional page with two aerial photos of the site. Currently in Portuguese only.