The monastery of Santa Clara de Belorado, also known as the Monasterio de Nuestra Señora de Bretonera, dates back to 1358 when a group of pious women entered an observance and built a monastery under the advocation of Nuestra Señora de Bretonera. The building was rebuilt in 1460 and later suffered destruction by French troops during the Guerra de la Independencia. Following the desamortización de Mendizábal, the nuns lost their properties but were able to survive with the help of a lady of Belorado, Doña Bonifacia del Campo.
In 2024, the community separated from the Iglesia católica. The abbedess, Sor Isabel de la Trinidad (Laura García de Viedma), and several others were excommunicated in Burgos. Ten more nuns were excommunicated after failing to appear before the ecclesiastical tribunal. The nuns declared that any canonical penalties were void once they were outside the protection of the Iglesia católica.
In 2025, the former abbedess was arrested by the Civil Guard in the framework of a plot regarding the sale of works of art. The group opened a restaurant in Asturias that lasted less than a year before closing. On March 12, 2026, the ex-nuns abandoned the monastery of Belorado. Sor Isabel, who had been linked to the monastery since 2004, blew out the last remaining candle on the altar before leaving for the final time.
Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons
Written by Nicolo Ciampini
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