Church of Santa Clara (Molina de Aragón): the Romanesque gem of the town

High above the town

In the upper part of Molina de Aragón, on the hill leading up to the castle, stands its most beautiful church. Work began around the mid-13th century, during the time of Lady Blanca of Molina, as the parish of Santa María, bearing the surname of its patron, Pero Gómez. It was never entirely finished.

From parish church to convent

In the 16th century, Juan Ruiz Malo and his family converted it into the chapel of a Clarist convent they had founded, hence its modern name.

The portal

It is built of red ashlar stone, with a Latin cross plan of short transept arms, ribbed vaulting, and a semicircular apse with a graceful central window. The portal, set in the south arm of the transept, has five archivolts alternating rounded mouldings with diamond-point hood moulds over foliate capitals. It is one of the finest Romanesque portals in Guadalajara. Under the eaves, the corbels are also carved with foliate decoration.