MUSEO Y CONVENTO DE LA RECOLETA
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Convent with a library with a collection of twenty thousand volumes, dating from 1600 to today
The city of Sucre was born in the Recoleta, a Franciscan convent founded in 1600 by Fray Francisco Morales. The four patios of the Recoleta have the same characteristics: two-lobed arches. In the first patio, on the left, you can see a cell of a Franciscan monk, Fray Mamerto Esquiu, which dates from the 19th century. Frescoes decorate the walls of the gallery that surrounds the patio. The second patio leads to the entrance of the cloister. Today, the cloister has only three priests and nine novices. The walls of the courtyard are decorated with paintings on cloth depicting scenes from the Franciscans' life of prayer and self-denial. On the same patio, a library houses a collection of twenty thousand volumes, dating from 1600 to the present day. The third courtyard is known as the orange patio. Crossing it, one reaches a garden where one can admire an enormous cedar, 1300 to 1400 years old. It is called "the thousand-year-old tree" and was declared a historical monument in 1956! The convent's vegetable garden is also located here. In the fourth courtyard, we can appreciate the colonnades and a painting of San Pedro de Alcantara dating from 1600. We then return to the second patio, which gives access to the choir of the church. A commemorative plaque marks the place where President Pedro Blanco was assassinated.
In the choir of the church, a sculpted pulpit (la silleria)
, from 1674, pays homage to the Franciscan fathers who went on an evangelization mission to Nagasaki, Japan, where they were tortured, crucified or impaled. The women who accompanied them, the clarisas, were burned. The sculptures in the pulpit, made by indigenous artists, illustrate their martyrdom. Alas, only part of this work can be seen; the other part has been lost. In addition to a bible dating from 1800, written in Latin and Spanish, there is a painting of the Child Jesus and the Virgin Mary and another depicting the martyrdom of the Franciscan friars. The church itself was built after the convent in 1875. It consists of a single nave with a side chapel and was designed according to the old plans of the presbytery. The structure consists of polygonal pillars with capitals whose style is difficult to determine. From the viewpoint in front of the convent, one of the most beautiful views of the city can be enjoyed. Under the arcades, lovers come to enjoy the sunset...Did you know? This review was written by our professional authors.
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