Museu

Museu del Monestir de Santa Clara a Velha

Name: Museu del Monestir de Santa Clara a Velha
Address: 57 R. Baixo, Coimbra, Coimbra, PT

35 residents recomanen,

Suggeriments de la gent de la zona

Alfredo

June 21, 2021

interpretative visit

Tiago

January 23, 2020

Yet another monument intertwined with Portuguese medieval history, the Gothic Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Velha has the added mystique of once submerged by the river. It dates to the 1300s but after the Mondego had flooded over hundreds of years the site was abandoned in the 1600s when the convent’s nuns moved to higher ground and founded the Monastery of Santa Clara-a-Nova. This site was turned into a proper attraction in the noughties, when an interpretation route and visitor centre were set up. At the centre you’ll get to see short film about the monastery, including its foundation by the 14th-century Queen Elizabeth. She is buried at the monastery in an imposing Gothic tomb. (900 meters from this accommodation)

Sam& Kurt

January 1, 2022

The evocative, partly sunken ruins of the Convent of Santa Clara-a-Velha are all that remain of the 13th-century monastery. Built on the south bank of the River Mondego, the building served as a retreat for Santa Isabel, the widow of King Dinis. Isabel oversaw the construction of a new church where she was interred after her death in 1336. However, the death knell was also sounding for Santa Clara itself after consistent flooding undermined the convent's foundations. The building was eventually abandoned in 1677, the sisters opting for a new building on higher ground. In 1696, the remains of Isabel herself were moved to this new address, the Convent of Santa Clara-a-Nova. Velha's original Gothic church was eventually restored and shares the site with a modern interpretation center, where visitors can learn more about the fascinating history behind the convent and mull over archaeological finds unearthed from the silted ruins.