From an atrium window, this elegant 17th-century convent sells Chiclana de la Frontera’s most famous pastry. Sample the cloistered sisters’ almond cake.
The Convento de Jesus Nazareno has been located on Chiclana de la Frontera since the 1670s, when a group of Augustine nuns moved within its walls in order to be closer to God. They created a convent surrounded by magnificent architecture. This classic convent church style, known as cajón, was once common all over Spain. Visit the sisters today to admire the architectural designs, pay your respects and taste the delicacies they have been refining for hundreds of years.
Begin your morning in Chiclana de la Frontera by visiting the coffee shop in the pedestrian plaza in front of the church and sit on a bench to view the convent’s exterior. Follow the elegant lines of the Solomonic columns, from raised pedestals along the spiral uprights to the Corinthian capitals on their summits.
Notice the veining in the Genoese marble. Walk up to the niches between the columns where likenesses of San Agustín and his mother, Santa Mónica, look out on the crowds. Step inside the church, dedicated to Jesus the Nazarene. Pause to study its golden altarpiece, which features a 17th-century carving of Jesus imported here from the Spanish colonies in Mexico.
Go to the atrium, where tall ceilings and perpetual cool temperatures can provide blessed relief on a hot day. Buy an almond cake or other pastries from the small hole in the wall, “el torno,” behind which the nuns sit. Bring your selections back out into the plaza and enjoy the delicious sweetness.
The Convento de Jesus Nazareno is located in Chiclana de la Frontera’s historic Old Town. Walk here from the Town Hall or the Plaza Mayor in a few minutes. The Old Town is easily walkable, so park in one of the garages toward the outside of town and wander along the streets on foot. The pastry shop is open from Monday to Friday in the mornings and evenings and on Saturday only in the morning.
