El arte y el monacato femenino en la Diócesis de Plasencia

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Abstract (English)

The reviewed study examines the history and artistic heritage of female monastic institutions in the Diocese of Plasencia, tracing their development from the Middle Ages through the Early Modern period. The article focuses on the role of noble patronage networks, which shaped the founding, architectural growth, and material enrichment of convents such as Santa Clara and San Ildefonso. Detailed attention is paid to the artistic production associated with these communities, including altarpieces, sculpture, painting, silverwork, and liturgical furnishings. Through archival documentation—particularly notarial records and convent inventories—the study reconstructs the circumstances surrounding commissions, artist workshops, and stylistic influences circulating within the region. The effects of 19th-century ecclesiastical disentailment are also addressed, highlighting the loss, dispersion, or reuse of monastic artworks and the re-adaptation of buildings for secular purposes. The article ultimately argues for the recognition of these convents as key spaces of female agency, cultural production, and preservation of artistic memory, underscoring the urgency of heritage conservation and further research to recover and contextualize surviving works.