The Convent of Santa Clara was installed in the palace built at the initiative of Alphonse XI (1311–1350) and Pedro I (1334–1369). The buildings around the Claustro del Vergel date to the time of Pedro I. According to Bujarrabal and Sancho, the old courtyard, which was completely rebuilt in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, had arches on all four sides, probably made of brick. The Claustro del Vergel was excavated between 1988 and 1990, revealing a square structure that leaned out toward the gardens. This was interpreted as the foundations of a pavilion, similar to that in the Court of the Lions at the Alhambra, but it was probably a pool. It is not clear whether the garden was divided into two or four flowerbeds.
Juan Carlos Ruiz Souza, “Santa Clara de Tordesillas,” 851–52.
Sources: Court Chronicle, 17th century | Archaeological Analysis, 20th century
-Antonio Almagro, Luis Ramón-Laca
Resources:
El palacio mudéjar de Tordesillas (Open in Zotero)
El Palacio de Pedro I en Tordesillas: Realidad e hipótesis (Open in Zotero)
Santa Clara de Tordesillas. 3. Restos de dos palacios medievales contrapuestos (siglos XIII-XIV) (Open in Zotero)
Originally published at: Almagro, Antonio, and Luis Ramón-Laca. “Patio del Vergel, Royal Convent of Santa Clara, Tordesillas.” Middle East Garden Traditions. Dumbarton Oaks, November 18, 2014. https://www.doaks.org/resources/middle-east-garden-traditions/catalogue#b_start=0&c6=Andalusian++Gardens. Archived at: https://perma.cc/J8KF-DV5P
