Royal Monastery of San Clemente - Seville

The Monastery of San Clemente contains a piece of history of the city of Seville . On the one hand it contains the memories of important events in the Arab world and on the other hand the history and art of the city.

On November 23, 1248, the feast of San Clemente, King Ferdinand III the Saint entered the city after conquering Seville. In commemoration of this event, the royal monastery of San Clemente, of the Cistercian order, was founded. However, the first certain mention of the Monastery of San Clemente, consisting of a religious community headed by an abbess, dates from 1284.

The monastery experienced dark periods during the French invasion and subsequent economic problems, from which it managed to survive to become a place of artists. The history of the monastery spans more than seven centuries and during that time it has gone through many different phases.

Among the many works of art, the most notable are the spectacular main altarpiece , structured in two sections, three streets, a double attic and a bench; the altarpiece of San Juan Evangelista, where the Baptist exhibits the aesthetic and iconographic keys of Sevillian Mannerism; the Virgin of the Kings, which is modeled on the one kept in the Royal Chapel of the cathedral and dated to the end of the 13th century, while the Child is a work of the 18th century; and the timber ceiling, consisting of five panels decorated with a dense network of lacework in the traditional Mudéjar style.

The monastery is also notable for the various confectionery products that the sisters make in their bakery . The monastery also offers a monastic guest house, an ideal place to spend a few days of prayer and retreat.

Willem Vandenameele