Dominican Sisters Convent
Introduction
Founded in the last third of the 16th century and built on the site of Moorish houses, the convent of La Madre de Dios is located at the end of the Paseo del Santo Cristo in the east of Huéscar.
In the 17th century, the town was marked at each end by the large convent buildings: to the north, the Dominicans; to the east, the Dominican nuns; to the west, the Franciscans.
The convent of the Dominican nuns was created thanks to the donation of Doña María de Chinchilla and is configured as the union of different buildings. Simplicity predominates in the construction, with its Mudejar courtyard being of special relevance, which still conserves the essence of the convent.
Dominican Sisters Convent
Origins
There is evidence of the intention to build a convent for Dominican nuns as early as 1570. It was in 1612 when the Dominican nuns of Huéscar were founded, thanks to the financial donation of María Chinchilla, widow of the knight-errant of Emperor Charles V and the acquisition of some houses adjoining the hermitage and hospital of the Madre de Dios.
It was in this same year that the first nuns began to arrive from the Dominican monastery of Nuestra Señora de Alta Gracia, in Ciudad Real. The existence of this building made it possible to celebrate liturgical ceremonies until the construction of the church was completed.
Dominican Sisters Convent
Architecture
The church can be accessed from Calle de Barroeta without entering the convent. For several centuries and until the 20th century, it must have had a tower.
It has two courtyards, one of which is the aljibe or flower courtyard, which is a landscaped space for the distribution of the main rooms and the other, the Mudejar, is a three-storey peristyle courtyard supported by brick pillars, with a wooden balustrade and a Renaissance fountain in white marble, similar to the baptismal font found in Santa María.
A fundamental part of the convent was the orchard with olive trees, almond trees and grapevines irrigated by means of a system of irrigation ditches connected to a pond.
Dominican Sisters Convent
Avatars
The good functioning of the convent was favoured by the numerous donations made by the society of Huesca, not only of money but also of land and buildings. This meant that the nuns had a good economic situation until the beginning of the 19th century.
They also owned two inns, which existed in the 16th century in Huéscar. The "Mesón de las Monjas", like other properties, was rented in order to guarantee a regular source of income.
Over the centuries, the convent suffered vicissitudes such as a fire in 1614, the confiscation of property and the civil war that devastated its church, although it managed to survive with its community, converted into a hospital. In 2019 it finally closed its doors.
Dominican Sisters Convent
Experiences
The life of the cloistered nuns was reflected in writings such as this one:
"For more than four centuries the community of nuns of the Order of St. Dominic has been among us. Separated from the world by the venerable walls of a centenary convent, they have always been a reference of the religiosity of the people of Huesca.
For us, the people of Huesca today, the Dominican mothers are like familiar silhouettes that sometimes emerge from a mysterious enclosure that few have been able to access. We know who they are, but we don't know how they live, how they pray, what the convent is like inside, what its history has been...".
Gonzalo Pulido Castillo. Member of the Centro de Estudios "Pedro Suárez" of Guadix.
Dominican Sisters Convent
Introduction
Founded in the last third of the 16th century and built on the site of Moorish houses, the convent of La Madre de Dios is located at the end of the Paseo del Santo Cristo in the east of Huéscar.
In the 17th century, the town was marked at each end by the large convent buildings: to the north, the Dominicans; to the east, the Dominican nuns; to the west, the Franciscans.
The convent of the Dominican nuns was created thanks to the donation of Doña María de Chinchilla and is configured as the union of different buildings. Simplicity predominates in the construction, with its Mudejar courtyard being of special relevance, which still conserves the essence of the convent.
Dominican Sisters Convent
Origins
There is evidence of the intention to build a convent for Dominican nuns as early as 1570. It was in 1612 when the Dominican nuns of Huéscar were founded, thanks to the financial donation of María Chinchilla, widow of the knight-errant of Emperor Charles V and the acquisition of some houses adjoining the hermitage and hospital of the Madre de Dios.
It was in this same year that the first nuns began to arrive from the Dominican monastery of Nuestra Señora de Alta Gracia, in Ciudad Real. The existence of this building made it possible to celebrate liturgical ceremonies until the construction of the church was completed.
Dominican Sisters Convent
Architecture
The church can be accessed from Calle de Barroeta without entering the convent. For several centuries and until the 20th century, it must have had a tower.
It has two courtyards, one of which is the aljibe or flower courtyard, which is a landscaped space for the distribution of the main rooms and the other, the Mudejar, is a three-storey peristyle courtyard supported by brick pillars, with a wooden balustrade and a Renaissance fountain in white marble, similar to the baptismal font found in Santa María.
A fundamental part of the convent was the orchard with olive trees, almond trees and grapevines irrigated by means of a system of irrigation ditches connected to a pond.
Dominican Sisters Convent
Avatars
The good functioning of the convent was favoured by the numerous donations made by the society of Huesca, not only of money but also of land and buildings. This meant that the nuns had a good economic situation until the beginning of the 19th century.
They also owned two inns, which existed in the 16th century in Huéscar. The "Mesón de las Monjas", like other properties, was rented in order to guarantee a regular source of income.
Over the centuries, the convent suffered vicissitudes such as a fire in 1614, the confiscation of property and the civil war that devastated its church, although it managed to survive with its community, converted into a hospital. In 2019 it finally closed its doors.
Dominican Sisters Convent
Experiences
The life of the cloistered nuns was reflected in writings such as this one:
"For more than four centuries the community of nuns of the Order of St. Dominic has been among us. Separated from the world by the venerable walls of a centenary convent, they have always been a reference of the religiosity of the people of Huesca.
For us, the people of Huesca today, the Dominican mothers are like familiar silhouettes that sometimes emerge from a mysterious enclosure that few have been able to access. We know who they are, but we don't know how they live, how they pray, what the convent is like inside, what its history has been...".
Gonzalo Pulido Castillo. Member of the Centro de Estudios "Pedro Suárez" of Guadix.