The Cloister Nun: a Vocation of Prayer and Pastries

The Cloister Nun: a Vocation of Prayer and Pastries

Cloister nuns across Andalusia use the income from making pastries to sustain their lives of prayer. Most cloister convents, like Madre de Dios in Seville, are locations filled with religious, artistic, and culinary history of the region.


“Yes, I feel free here. I enjoy living here. We aren’t allowed to leave, but people can come to visit us. We have recreation time; we read, watch TV. I decided to live here, to give my life to God—you may think I couldn’t be happy, mainly praying and baking pastries. But I am very happy,” explains Adela, the mother superior of the convent Madre de Dios, as she sits behind a barred wall, smiling.
The barred windows and walls aren’t a rarity here. This convent of Seville, like the other 218 like it across Andalusia, houses cloister nuns. A cloister nun devotes her life to prayer and the word of God, confined to the convent for life. No one is allowed in the convent, and no one is allowed out (unless she decides to leave this religious life). Despite this self-reclusion, she can receive letters, newspapers, and even visitors—provided they remain behind the grating.
The convent may seem like a prison, but the 12 nuns that live at Madre de Dios do not feel like prisoners. Mother superior Adela, in fact, started off as an active nun and changed to cloister. “After seeing the way the contemplative nuns lived, with such serenity and closeness to God, after interacting with them, I realized the life of a contemplative nun was my calling,” explains Adela, emphasizing the usage of contemplative over cloister. “Contemplative nuns are the beating heart of the church. Our prayer and devotion gives life to the faith.”
The nuns’ primary vocation is prayer, but praying doesn’t make money. Nuns receive donations, but in order to make enough to sustain the convent, the nuns bake and sell sweets. The convent confectionary trade began in the 19th century, a time of great political crisis. Before this time, the nuns maintained their lives of prayer through the gracious tributes of others, especially from large donations of land, money, and goods from the prestigious. However, the French invaded Spain in 1808, and political and economical crisis persisted throughout the century.
The French quickly instilled large taxes on the convents, little by little confiscating the convent’s land and goods. Eventually, the French overthrew the convents, leaving the nuns with absolutely nothing. In order to survive, the nuns started to perform money-making tasks that would allow them to uphold their life of prayer: embroidering, fabricating paper and silk flowers, and, of course, baking sweets. Making treats was the most successful, and overtime the occupation stuck.
Now across Andalusia, most cloister convents (including seven in Seville) make pastries. Madre de Dios is known for its muffins, mouth-watering and yet only $3.50 a dozen. Most convents produce multiple sweets, and many have their own specialties: Santa Inés is famous for its bollitos (a sweet mainly composed of flour and sugar that can have many fillings like chocolate or cream), Santa Paula for its jellies, and San Leandro for its yemas (a confection made egg yolks and sugar). Some recipes are from extremely old traditions, like the torta de aceite, a simple treat, composed of sugar, flour, and olive oil, which echoes the Arabic past of Seville. Other recipes, like the recipe for the yemas of San Leandro, originated in the 17th century.
Nearly all of these convents are places of great historical and artistic importance. The church at Madre de Dios is a wonder, mainly built in the mudéjar style that blends Islamic and Gothic architectural features, it was founded in 1496 by Isabel la Católica, shortly after Columbus’s return from the new world. Therefore, the convent was one of the first projects funded with American gold. The daughter and wife of Hernán Cortes, the famous conquistador of Mexico, are buried within the church.
Because of this abundance of history and art, the nuns at Madre de Dios would like to have a small museum constructed. However, the convent and the church “are in ruin.” Although still breathtaking, they are a mere shadow of its former glory. The pastry business doesn’t yield a large enough profit to fund such a project. Since they do not technically work, the nuns do not pay taxes and therefore do not receive social security. After general living expenses, healthcare, and the convent’s general upkeep, there isn’t enough money for special projects.
However, the pastries, although extremely delicious, are not incredibly unique. Most of the pastries can be bought in many bakeries across the city. The convents are normally discrete and blend into their surroundings, normally having no signs above the door indicating a pastry workshop exists inside. You will not see a poster, commercial, or newspaper ad about the pastries; there are no real methods of advertising for the nuns.
What one must understand is, the convent is not a business. The convent pastries are a tradition and a part of a religious vocation. Most people continue to buy from the nuns because of their religious affiliation, the tradition, or simply for the experience.
“I learned that most Sevillanos buy the pastries simply because they always have, especially for the holidays. It’s a form of charity here. I think it’s just a really interesting experience. I get to explore the religious and culinary culture of Seville at the same time when I visit the convents,” explains Sara Munzesheimer, an American studying in Seville who frequents Madre de Dios.
At first, the nun’s customers were concentrated around their particular barrios, not well known outside. However, María Luisa Fraga Iribarne, a doctor of art history, has helped the nuns’ treats gain recognition. With the publication of her book, Guía de dulces de los conventos sevillanos de clausura, and her organization of the yearly convent market, Seville’s pastries are now better known across the country.
Every year the market is held in the Palacio Gótico of the Real Alcázar, the old official palace once occupied by the caliphs of the Arabs and the Catholic kings. It is held around the date of the Immaculate Conception, a Catholic holy day which falls on the 8th of December. People flock to the Real Alcázar from all over Spain to buy their Christmas sweets. The nuns bake as many sweets as they can in the preceding months in order to fulfill the demand. After the three days of the market, every box is sold, mother Adela says. It's the greatest profit-generating week of the year for them. Nonetheless, for the nuns making sweets is not a business but a cultural labor.
When walking around Seville, keep your eyes open for the convents. They are discrete, hidden among homes, souvenir shops, and big attractions like the Cathedral. When you find one, step through its ancient wooden doors and experience the rich history, tradition, and kindness of the cloister nuns of Seville. You will never forget it.