The Convento de Santa Ana is a Discalced Carmelite convent on calle Ángel de Saavedra, with a Baroque church whose portal niche shows Saint Anne, the Virgin and the Child. The community was founded in 1589, the church followed in 1608, and six enclosed nuns still live here. No admission price is published, so treat it as a street-front and church stop. Go for the red-brick facade and a quiet look at the church if it is open for worship.
A Carmelite foundation of 1589
The convent was founded by the Discalced Carmelites and San Juan de la Cruz in 1589, although the church was only built in 1608 thanks to the marquesado del Carpio. Local tradition gives San Juan de la Cruz a personal hand in it: the community was founded by the saint himself, and the building went up through the generosity of the Marqués del Carpio.
The church is a Latin-cross Baroque temple. Over the door, in a niche, stands Saint Anne with the Virgin and Child, the convent's patron. Inside, the Santa Ana altarpiece is dedicated to the convent's patron and holds its titular image, restored by Miguel Arjona. Spanish Wikipedia gives 1710 for the church's retablo.
Respect the enclosure
The nuns live under papal enclosure and do not go out. Keep voices low near the door, and dress as you would for any church in use.
The altarpiece that burned
A fire destroyed the Santa Ana Triplex altarpiece, and rebuilding it became the convent's great project. Accounts differ on the year of the fire, so none is given here. The nuns commissioned the carver Manuel Valverde to reconstruct it in 2015, through the parish priest of Castro del Río. It is the piece to look for if you get into the church.
