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The Santa Clara Museum (Museo Santa Clara) preserves the Church of Santa Clara (Iglesia de Santa Clara), which was one of the most incredible churches in Colombia. It’s located steps from Plaza de Bolívar in La Candelaria.
Introduction to the Santa Clara Museum
The Church of Santa Clara, which has been deconsecrated, is one of the best examples of Romanesque architecture and Baroque decoration in Bogotá. The church also houses an incredible collection of paintings and sculptures from the 17th through 20th centuries. If you visit one church in Bogotá, this should be it. Once inside, you’ll see that just about every square inch of the church is beautifully decorated with designs, paintings, and statues.
History of the Church of Santa Clara
The Church of Santa Clara was built between 1619 and 1647 as part of the Royal Convent of Santa Clara (Real Convento de Santa Clara). It was designed by Spanish architect Matías de Santiago and belonged to the Franciscan order of the Poor Clares. Construction was sponsored by the Archbishop of Bogotá, Hernando de Arias y Ugarte (1561-1638).
In 1863, Colombian President Tomás Cipriano de Mosquera (1798-1878) expropriated the church from the Poor Clares. It was administered for a short time by the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Congregación del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús), and the convent was demolished at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1968, the building was converted to a museum, finally opening to the public in 1983.
Visiting the Santa Clara Museum
Because of the proximity of the Nariño Palace, the presidential palace of Colombia, and other government offices, there’s a security checkpoint on the street outside of the church. Tell the guard you want to visit the Santa Clara Museum. You’ll have your bag searched and you can move on. Admission for foreigners is US$10 (as of June 2023) and it’s open daily except Mondays.
Nave
A total of 103 oil paintings decorate the walls of the nave. They date back to the 17th and 18th centuries. Many of the paintings were signed by Gaspar de Figueroa (1594-1658), his son Baltasar Vargas de Figueroa (1629-1667), and Gregorio Vásquez de Arce y Ceballos (1638-1711). In addition to the paintings, there are a handful of altars on each side, some containing statues. Not a single space on the walls has been left empty.
The nave of the church has a 13 meter high barrel vaulted ceiling. It’s decorated with wooden flowers covered in gold leaf, with blue and yellow paint representing the Immaculate Conception.
Next to the presbytery is the pulpit, which is attached to the right side of the main arch. It’s made of wood and dates back to the 17th century. It’s decorated in gold leaf and 18th century plaster images of Saint Luke, Saint Mark and Saint Matthew.
Altarpiece
The altarpiece is the most stunning feature of the church, carved out of wood and gilded entirely in gold leaf. Each of the three rows contains five niches decorated with statues. It was donated by María Arias de Ugarte (d. 1647). The altarpiece is in the presbytery, which sits higher than the rest of the nave.
