Top 10 Madeira (Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guides)
Top 10 Madeira (Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guides)
Top 10 Madeira (Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guides)
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Zarco Monument & A coffin-shaped box at the<br />
eastern end of the lower choir is<br />
a replica of the monument that<br />
once stood in the main church<br />
over Zarco’s grave (see p15). It<br />
was moved in 1762 because<br />
priests kept tripping over it.<br />
* Calvary<br />
The large painting of the crucified<br />
Christ at the west end of<br />
the lower choir served to remind<br />
the nuns that their hardships<br />
were as nothing compared with<br />
his sufferings. Even more poignant<br />
is the realistic 17th-century<br />
wooden statue of Christ laid in<br />
the altar below, as if in his tomb.<br />
<strong>Top</strong> <strong>10</strong> Dates in<br />
Santa Clara’s History<br />
1 1476: convent founded<br />
2 1493: church completed<br />
3 1497: nuns move in<br />
4 1566: nuns flee pirates<br />
5 1671: tabernacle unveiled<br />
6 1736: choir stalls carved<br />
7 1797: artists paint church<br />
8 1834: Portugal bans<br />
religious orders<br />
9 1890: last nun dies<br />
0 1927: school founded<br />
( Church<br />
The public part of the church<br />
is covered in decorative 17thcentury<br />
carpet tiles of great<br />
intricacy. The magnificent silver<br />
tabernacle on the altar dates<br />
from 1671.<br />
) Monuments<br />
At the back of the church,<br />
the stone sarcophagus resting<br />
on crouching lions marks the<br />
grave of Zarco’s son-in-law,<br />
Martim Mendes de Vasconcelos<br />
(d.1493). Zarco himself (who<br />
died in 1467 – see pp14, 36) lies<br />
buried in front of the high altar,<br />
but his tomb slab is hidden<br />
beneath a modern wood floor.<br />
Santa Clara Church<br />
Santa Clara Convent is surrounded by high walls, built<br />
to shield the nuns from prying eyes, and to keep<br />
them focused on their religious duties without the distractions<br />
of the outside world. In the past, the only<br />
part of the convent open to the public was the<br />
church, with its magnificent silver tabernacle, dating<br />
from 1671, and its marble-and-gold altar. Because of<br />
its beauty and serenity, Santa Clara Church is a very<br />
popular choice for weddings.<br />
Bell Tower<br />
The minaret-like bell<br />
tower reflects the cultural<br />
influence of Moorish<br />
Seville, where the tiles<br />
decorating the onionshaped<br />
dome were made. High altar with silver tabernacle, Santa Clara Church<br />
<strong>Madeira</strong>’s <strong>Top</strong> <strong>10</strong> 17
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