Santa Clara Convent and Its Sweets

An enclosed convent of Poor Clare nuns in the centre of Carmona, where the nuns still make sweets in their workshop. You visit the church and part of the convent, and on the way out you take away a box of sweets. It is the oldest convent in the city: its foundation was authorised by a bull of Pope Pius II in 1460.

What you will see

It was built between the late 15th and early 16th centuries, in the years when Carmona, conquered by Ferdinand III in 1247, was filling up with parishes and convents. The church has a single rectangular nave with a timber roof, following the Seville model of the Mudéjar convent, and a chancel covered with a Gothic rib vault. In the 17th century the chancel was decorated with gilded paintings in Baroque forms, and the high altarpiece dates from that period, designed and carved by Felipe Ribas in 1645.

Below, the nave has a 16th-century tile dado made using techniques from the Muslim tradition; above hang canvases from the mid-17th century, probably from a local workshop following Zurbarán. At the foot is the choir, on two levels and divided by a lattice screen, and from it you pass into the cloister, a square two-storey space. The lookout tower, from the 18th century and late Baroque, stands out from the complex even above the church tower. Today you enter through a double doorway in the north wall that gives onto the compás.

The sweets

The Poor Clares make sweets of Arab tradition, sponge, meringue and candied-citron cakes and the traditional torta inglesa. They used to be sold only through the revolving hatch; since the convent opened to tourism they can be bought directly at reception. Every 6 December the cloister hosts an exhibition and sale of sweets in aid of the community.

Opening hours and admission

It costs €3, and €2 for children, students and pensioners. It is open from 11:00 to 14:00 and from 16:00 to 18:00; closed on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Sundays the tourist office organises an experience visit to the convent: ask when you book at the tourist office. Allow about 45 minutes.

Getting there

It is on Calle Santa María de Gracia, in the upper part of the old town, a few minutes' walk from the Priory Church of Santa María and the City Museum. The old town is explored on foot: leave your car outside the wall.