Monastery of Santa Clara, Palencia

Description

The Monastery of Santa Clara (Palencia) was founded by Henry II of Castile and his wife Juana Manuel. Following the monarch’s death, Alfonso Enríquez of Castile and Juana de Mendoza assumed patronage of the monastery (Castro, 1982). Construction of the church, which features a Greek cross plan, began around 1395.

In the early 20th century, the community sold off some items from the monastery, including the tapestries that Juana de Mendoza commissioned in honor of her husband, the Admiral of Castile. Today, the carpets are scattered among theMetropolitan Museum of Art (New York, United States), the Vizcaya Museum & Gardens (Miami, United States), and the Philadelphia Museum of Art (Philadelphia, United States).

Bibliography

• CASTRO, Manuel de (1982): El Real Monasterio de Santa Clara de Palencia y los Enríquez, Almirantes de Castilla, Institución Tello Téllez de Meneses. Diputación Provincial de Palencia, Palencia.