Chiesa e Convento di Santa Chiara

The Church and Convent of Santa Chiara in Sulmona dates to the thirteenth century and has served the Poor Clares for much of its history. Rebuilt in Baroque form after the 1706 earthquake, the church holds an altarpiece by Sebastiano Conca; the former convent now contains civic and diocesan cultural collections.

Why it matters

Founded by Blessed Floresenda between 1260 and 1269, Santa Chiara became one of the oldest Poor Clare houses in the Kingdom of Naples. The municipal account also associates the nuns with Sulmona's sugared-almond tradition. The complex has endured earthquakes, suppression and civic reuse, with its church and convent preserving different layers of the city's history.

What to notice

The church's Baroque facade has paired pilasters, a curved broken tympanum and an elliptical oculus. Inside, a lowered elliptical dome rises over the presbytery, framed by Corinthian pilasters and side altars with inlaid marble. The high altar, dated 1735, holds the Gloria di Santa Chiara by Sebastiano Conca. The former convent preserves a thirteenth-century fresco cycle depicting scenes from the lives of Christ and Saint Francis, as well as later frescoes in the former refectory. In the parlour, stone grilles recall the convent's cloistered life.

Context and history

Earthquakes in 1456 and 1706 damaged the complex. In 1711, the church's rebuilding was entrusted to architect Pietro Fantoni, who retained the earlier building's volumes. The bell tower's upper level, which had collapsed in 1587, was rebuilt. Following suppression in 1866, the property passed through state ownership and was acquired by the municipality in 1907. It was subsequently used for civic purposes, including a school, kindergarten, nursing home and cinema. The last Poor Clare died in 1918.