Founded in 1212 by St. Clare and St. Francis of Assisi, the Poor Clares are the only female order following a rule written by its own founder. The sisters take four vows: poverty, chastity, obedience, and enclosure. The Convento de Santa Clara in Carmona, near Seville in southern Spain, relies on no diocese or institution, sustaining itself through the work of the nuns, who are registered as pastry makers. The Poor Clares of Carmona also dedicate themselves to prayer, tend their garden and chickens, manage the guesthouse and museum, and cook for the community. “True freedom is deciding how to live your life,” affirms the abbess, Sr. Verónica.
Despite the nuns’ efforts, the convent faces many material challenges. The convent buildings, which date from the fifteenth century, are suffering from structural and water damage, despite some publicly and altruistically funded renovations. While Spain is the leading country in terms of cloistered nuns, religious vocations and Christianity as a whole are experiencing a significant decline and more than 150 cloisters have closed in the last decade.
Many of the still-active convents owe their survival to migration. Currently, there are about seven hundred monasteries in Spain, and one in five brothers or sisters are foreign-born, reflecting trends that began in the 1980s. Out of a total of fourteen nuns at Santa Clara, thirteen are of Kenyan origin, and one is from Spain: Francisca Salero, who is eighty-five years old. Although vocations continue to grow in Africa, there are not enough convents there to accommodate the many women called to be sisters. But Pope Francis has restricted the recruitment of foreign nuns, making it more difficult for these women to access communities in Europe. Those who manage to enter must undergo a seven-year probationary period to confirm their vocations.
Below, left: A portrait of the cloistered nuns of the Convento de Santa Clara in Carmona. The abbess or mother superior is Verónica Nzula (first from right, standing).
Below, right: Sr. Margarita carries out her tasks at the Poor Clares convent.

“In this seclusion and silence, I can finally enjoy what I could not before amid the noise,” says Sr. Francisca. “For me, being a cloistered nun is like living in the spirit of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, being forgotten by the world but still able to engage in an apostolate, transcend, and dream of the entire world while praying for everyone.”
Below: Abbess Verónica Nzula reads in her cell.
Above: The Poor Clares prepare sweets in the convent’s pastry workshop. Pastry-making is their primary source of income.
Below, left: Abbess Verónica Nzula kisses Sr. Francisca Salero, who poses for a portrait on October 4, 2024.
Below, right: Sr. Elizabeth Nduku takes a break from cleaning on a January day.

Above: The Poor Clares pray in the choir of the convent’s church, an area reserved exclusively for them and separated by a lattice from the rest of the church.
Below: Two sisters do their laundry in the convent.
Above: Poor Clare nuns rest after lunch in the convent’s common room.
Below: Lying on the floor of the church and covered by a veil, Sr. Rosa María Mbaika is adorned with rose petals by novices. During this solemn profession ceremony on April 29, 2023, she commits herself to God for life.