Tordesillas - Real Monasterio de Santa Clara

The Real Monasterio de Santa Clara, a convent of Clarissine nuns, was originally a palace built by Alfonso XI in the 14th century. Pedro the Cruel chose it as a residence for his illegally married second wife María de Padilla and rebuilt it in Moorish style, modeled on the Alcázar in Seville. After Pedro's death it was occupied by the Clarissines. Moorish influence is evident particularly in the horseshoe and cusped arches in the Patioárabe and the dome of the adjoining Capilla Dorada, which has 16th century frescoes. A variety of objects are displayed in this chapel, including Joan the Mad's harmonium and a clavichord which Charles V and Philip II are said to have played.