THE CONVENT AND THE CHURCH OF
"LAS CLARAS" - AUDIO GUIDE
"LAS CLARAS" - AUDIO GUIDE
AUDIO GUIDE TRANSCRIPTION
In the XIV century, the Clarisas nuns settled down in Palencia. The construction of their convent was sponsored by the “First Admiral of Castile”, Alfonso Enríquez. Soon, the convent became a burial place for the nobles, that is why it has lots of artistic objects.
The convent has a courtyard with a wooden ceiling, a room with Gothic plasterworks, and a church.
The façade of the church is in Gothic style. It has an arch with ornaments and a rose window. In the façade, there is a big balcony where the nuns would watch the processions.
The church has a cross-shaped ground plan and pointed arches. The chapels have altarpieces in Baroque style.
In the church, there is a little chapel by the north side that has the most important statue in the church: the Christ of Las Claras. This statue has inspired one of the most famous legends in the city. That legend says that the statue was founded by the first Admiral of Castile, don Alfonso Enríquez, after winning a naval battle against the king of Tunisia. During the night, the soldiers saw something in the water. When they got closer, they found this statue. The Admiral wanted to bring the statue to Palenzuela, a little village 40 kilometers (25 miles) away from Palencia. However, the donkey that was carrying the statue stopped in front of the convent of Las Claras. This was interpreted as a divine signal and the statue was given to the nuns.
The true story is that the statue was made at the end of the XIV century, probably in Germany. The statue was donated to the convent by the Admiral of Castile approximately in 1410. It was created to reproduce the Descent from the Cross that is why it has joints.
The statue is made of wood and the joints are covered with leather. It has real hair and false nails and eyes, that is why many people believed that the statue was a mummy. Lots of miracles have been attributed to the saint Christ of Las Claras.
The convent has a courtyard with a wooden ceiling, a room with Gothic plasterworks, and a church.
The façade of the church is in Gothic style. It has an arch with ornaments and a rose window. In the façade, there is a big balcony where the nuns would watch the processions.
The church has a cross-shaped ground plan and pointed arches. The chapels have altarpieces in Baroque style.
In the church, there is a little chapel by the north side that has the most important statue in the church: the Christ of Las Claras. This statue has inspired one of the most famous legends in the city. That legend says that the statue was founded by the first Admiral of Castile, don Alfonso Enríquez, after winning a naval battle against the king of Tunisia. During the night, the soldiers saw something in the water. When they got closer, they found this statue. The Admiral wanted to bring the statue to Palenzuela, a little village 40 kilometers (25 miles) away from Palencia. However, the donkey that was carrying the statue stopped in front of the convent of Las Claras. This was interpreted as a divine signal and the statue was given to the nuns.
The true story is that the statue was made at the end of the XIV century, probably in Germany. The statue was donated to the convent by the Admiral of Castile approximately in 1410. It was created to reproduce the Descent from the Cross that is why it has joints.
The statue is made of wood and the joints are covered with leather. It has real hair and false nails and eyes, that is why many people believed that the statue was a mummy. Lots of miracles have been attributed to the saint Christ of Las Claras.
DOWNLOAD THE AUDIO GUIDE
Scan the following QR code with your smartphone to download the audio guide.