Monasterio de Santa Clara, Medina de Pomar

The monastery of Santa Clara, is a religious-monumental complex located in the town of Medina de Pomar. Located to the south of the town, next to the old Hospital de la Vera Cruz and near the Hermitage of San Millán, inside it houses a church, the family pantheon of the Velasco family and the Museum of the Constables. It also has a cosy inn and meeting rooms. During its seven centuries of history it has been inhabited by a community of Poor Clares, dedicated to work and prayer.

HistoryIt was founded by Sancho Sánchez de Velasco, and his wife Doña Sancha García, according to a deed granted in Baeza, on 11th January 1313. They also ordered that "twenty-four duennas de velo prieto", that is, twenty-four nuns in black veils, should govern the monastery, later increasing the number to thirty, due to the will of Doña Sancha, who died in 1321. Her husband, who had died in 1315, was the first member of the Velasco family to be buried there. Over the centuries all the members of the Velasco family, with the exception of the first Constable, were buried there. After the reformation of the presbytery in the 17th century, the remains were taken out of the crypt and placed in the walls.

On April 2, 1992 it was declared BIC in the category of Monument. In 2013 it celebrated its 7th centenary, a year in which new museum spaces were remodelled and inaugurated. In 2017 the rooms of the former Hospital de la Vera Cruz were inaugurated and converted into a guest house.

ChurchThe church, dedicated to Santa Clara, is one of the most important spaces in this monastery. It has a single nave and is divided into side chapels. Although it is a Gothic building, from the 14th century, it is visible the use of other styles for the extensions made later.

The main altar has three altarpieces bathed in gold in rococo style. From the central one, a tabernacle that consists of an artistic reliquary, in which the "Manifestador de la Paloma" is framed, stands out. The opening of this mechanism, manually, only occurs on four occasions a year: August 11, Holy Thursday, Corpus Christi and the Night in White.

Inside the church, the most outstanding room is the Chapel of the Conception. Considered to be one of the most outstanding chapels of its kind in Spain, it was built in the 16th century, similar to the Chapel of the Constables in Burgos Cathedral. It is in this chapel of the cathedral where the remains of the first Constable and his wife rest, being the only Velasco who were not buried in this monastery.

Inside this chapel, which is accessed through a grille, attributed to the studio of Cristóbal de Andino, is the sacristy, which has a beautiful starry vault and a very original pebble floor.

Another corner to highlight is the front of the choir, where the mausoleum of the third Constable, Iñigo Fernández de Velasco, and his wife María de Tovar is located, with the family coats of arms presiding over the monument.

The choir loft is located in a single nave. It is covered by three composite ribbed vaults and polychrome wooden decorations in its keystones.

Museum of the ConstablesIt is located in what was once the crypt or the rotting place. It shows the works of art and relics of the monastery, most of them donated by the Fernández de Velasco family, benefactors-patrons of the monastery in the past. The museum project developed in 2013, has incorporated new technologies, has been carried out by the architect Jesús Castillo Oli and has had the support of the Junta de Castilla y León and the Fundación Santa María la Real de Aguilar de Campoo. Many of its pieces have participated in different editions of the exhibition Las Edades del Hombre. Among the works, a recumbent Christ by Gregorio Fernández, made around 1623 and considered one of the five best works of the author and a unique example of Baroque sculpture, stands out.

Worth seeing is a Mudejar carpet from the 14th century. Also noteworthy are several Flemish panels, especially The Adoration of the Magi painted by Hans Memling, during the last third of the 15th century or The Holy Family with Saint Anne, by Hendrick de Clerck. Also notable is the Christ of Lepanto, one of the three crucifixes carved in ivory in 1571 that Pope Pius V gave to each nation that fought in the battle of Lepanto; in addition to various chalices and jewelry.