Real Monasterio de Santa Inés del Valle

"This historic Poor Clare monastery is a jewel of Écija's religious heritage. Founded in the 15th century, it maintains the monastic tradition of enclosure and is renowned for its high-quality, handcrafted convent sweets. Its architecture displays beautiful Baroque and Renaissance elements, particularly in its façade and tower. It represents a place of peace and spirituality, forming a fundamental part of Écija's religious history. A living testament to Andalusian devotion and sacred art, it deserves to be known and preserved."

Alicia Fernández

"A truly wonderful place. Besides seeing the history of the convents and their churches—usually barrels here in Écija—the interior is very welcoming. It's a small, intimate chapel that stands out for its ornamentation and is well worth seeing, in addition to visiting one of the churches, or rather, chapels of a convent deeply rooted in the history of Écija.
An excellent place to visit."

yolanda dugo

"Located in the heart of the city of Écija, the Royal Convent of Santa Inés belongs to the Community of Franciscan Poor Clares. The first foundation was made outside the city walls, later moving to its current location, about two hundred steps from the town center, bordering the road that led to the Sanctuary of the Patron Saint, Our Lady of the Valley, from which it takes its name. This definitive foundation dates back to 1487.

According to tradition, the convent received valuable contributions from the beginning of its founding, including those of the Catholic Queen, who stayed at the monastery and provided substantial alms that paid for the choir stalls, produced choir books, brought water to the convent, and so on. Empress Maria of Austria and Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia were also benefactors of the House, to which they bequeathed valuable relics, including a thorn from the crown of Jesus. The Ecijan nobility and the city council showed their affection for the Franciscan monastery.

The church is a large nave covered with barrel vaults and lunettes in the main nave and half-orange vaults in the presbytery. It is richly decorated with plasterwork, paintings of the Marian mysteries, and Franciscan scenes, of little artistic value but with a keen ornamental sense. The temple was built at the end of the first quarter of the 17th century, and the architects of this curious composition were Ecijan master builders.

The main altarpiece is composed of two parts: the first is a large central group with the Manifestor and side boxes for the images of Saint Joseph and Saint Joachim. In the lower part, a tabernacle with a half-orange vault topped by a lantern containing the sculpture of the Immaculate Conception. The second part of the altarpiece completes the chapel's end wall and features various artistic collections of medium artistic value, including a relief depicting the story of Saint Clare and the Saracens from around 1630."

Javier Gonzalez-Soria