Did you know that the Convento de las Clarisas in Madrid has a history stretching back to a meadow near the Jarama River? In 1469 it all began. A group of nuns established a monastery dedicated to Our Lady of the Salutation. This wasn’t just any location. It was in La Muñoza a small village near what is now Barajas Airport. The founders were the important figures Comendador Pedro Zapata and his wife Catalina Manuel de Lando. Sister Maria de Lando the first abbess joined them with five other nuns from the Santa Clara monastery in Zafra.
Around 1500 an interesting thing happened. A painting of the Virgin Mary arrived at the Convento de las Clarisas from Istanbul. The nuns started to be called “de Constantinopla” because of this treasured artwork. It became a very popular subject of devotion in Madrid and beyond. The Convento de las Clarisas became a significant place of pilgrimage.
On October 6 1528 Charles I of Spain formally ratified the founding charter. This charter had been signed by the founders and nuns back in September 1479. The original location however proved problematic. It was too close to the river and unhealthy. The nuns sought a new home. With permission from Pope Julius III and the Franciscan Order they moved to Madrid in 1551. Their new location was on Calle de la Almudena now Calle Mayor. It was near Calderon de la Barca street opposite the Plaza de la Villa.
The Convento de las Clarisas remained there until 1836. Sadly the Mendizábal Confiscation led to the closure of the convent. Its twenty nuns were forced out. The building was demolished. The nuns found temporary refuge in a convent of Franciscan Concepcionists in La Latina. They eventually moved to Carabanchel Bajo in 1891. Pope Leo XIII later authorized them to open a free kindergarten. They received support to build a new convent completed in 1908.
Tragedy struck again. During the Spanish Civil War in 1936 the Convento de las Clarisas was once more abandoned. The nuns were machine-gunned while hiding but miraculously survived thanks to the Carabanchel mayor Atilano Brell who secured their release. Sadly the building was destroyed. The precious Virgin of Constantinople painting was lost forever.
The Convento de las Clarisas was rebuilt and reopened in 1944. Twelve nuns returned. For a time their church served as the parish church for the neighborhood. The Convento de las Clarisas endured centuries of change. It’s a testament to faith resilience and the enduring spirit of its community. It’s a story of loss and renewal a captivating tale woven into the very fabric of Madrid’s history.