Museum of Sacred Art of the Clarisas in Monforte

To visit any of the places around the river Cabe in Monforte de Lemos, it is best to park your car in the Parque de los Condes and walk there. The museum is very close to the town hall and can be reached by walking along the banks of the river Cabe and turning left at the Puente Viejo, the old bridge.

The convent was founded in 1662 by the 7th count of Lemos, Pedro Fernández de Castro, and his wife Catalina de la Cerda y Sandoval. They are buried in the family vault in the convent, where Doña Catalina became a nun following the death of her husband.

The main façade is quite austere, in contrast to the richer façade on one side. This is because the side wall was built by Doña Catalina during her lifetime, while the main wall was not, and her heirs made some significant cuts in the amount spent on its construction.

As this is a cloistered convent of barefoot Franciscan nuns, it is not permitted to visit the interior, except for the former infirmary. Today, this is the Museum of the Clarisas, one of the most important museums of sacred art in all of Spain, thanks to the care taken by these nuns to preserve the property of the counts of Lemos, who were also the viceroys of Naples.

The museum has four rooms with precious metal work, paintings, sculptures and religious relics and ornaments, mainly Spanish and Italian works from the 16th and 17th century. Of note are an Ecce Homo and a Virgin by Gregorio Fernández.