The privilege of poverty

This is understandable, as they form a cultural sphere with its own dynamics. They are perhaps the last secret of the twenty-first century. They are surrounded by an aura of mystery and fantasy.

Faced with this reality, we ask ourselves: what reasons might explain the existence of enclosure? Why have thousands of women throughout history chosen life in a monastic cloister? What does enclosure mean? Does it belong to our time? And, above all, can one be happy in the cloister?

Separation from the world, expressed through enclosure, is only a means, not an end. It is a life of choice rather than renunciation. At a certain point, all of these women made a choice that is difficult to understand in a world where “what for” prevails over “why”, where material things are the rule and detachment is the exception.

To demystify the unknown and show everyone what happens within the walls of an enclosed convent of Poor Clare nuns: the convent of Santa Isabel de Los Reyes in Toledo, founded in 1477.

A life much closer to our own than we might believe. They are women, and that is how they have shown themselves. They face their difficulties with realism, but above all with courage and hope. They are self-sufficient and live from their work, to which, together with prayer, they devote most of the day. They live in a sisterly community, yet each retains her own personality.