The Convent of Las Duenas in Salamanca is a closed order, but the cloister is open to the public. It is a charmingly unexpected place and it is well worth a visit.
A brief history
The Convent of Santa Maria, better known as Las Duenas in Salamanca,1 was founded in 1419, just across the way from the Monastery of San Esteban. Juana Rodriguez Maldonado founded the convent in the home she had built with her first husband, with the aim of creating a home where genteel ladies could retires, hence ‘Las Duenas’. Her home was apparently built in Mudejar style and an arch and tiles are preserved in the cloister.
Dominican nuns soon occupied the home and the church and cloister were added in the early 16th century.
The Cloister
The cloister is glorious! It has five sides, two storeys, and a pretty garden in the middle.
The cloisters in the Convent of Las Duenas is charming but after a lot of exploring some refreshment is very necessary and at the end of this day we were seriously hungry!
restlessjo
What a fabulous place! The cloisters are amazing.
Candy Blackham
Yes, very friendly, and very ‘feminine’…