St. Claire's Convent in Chieri
The monastic complex of St. Claire, facade of an eighteenth-century
part of the building with the main entrance door on the ground floor,
facing Via Giovanni Demaria 10, Chieri.
F. Ghirardi and P. Mercuri, Il Monastero
di Santa Chiara in Chieri ,
Fonzo & C. Editori, Chieri, 1995.
The history of the ancient convent of St. Claire in Chieri has been published by Filippo Ghirardi and Paolo Mercuri. From the origins, which 'are confused, sometimes overlapping with those of the convent of St. Catherine starting from the fourteenth century', life in this complex has been reconstructed spanning over four centuries. First, it was a nunnery, boasting its long cross-vaulted porch, cloister, and chapel. In the age of Baroque, the building was enriched with sleeves and a three-flight staircase. After the Napoleonic suppression of religious orders, and consequent spoliations, the ancient convent was turned into Chieri's first textile factory in the early nineteenth century. Later on, it would become a boarding school. Eventually, it was destined to house Chieri Textile Foundation and Museum in the late 1990s.
With the Municipal Authorities, the Foundation aims to procure the necessary funds to to bring back the former convent of
St. Claire to new splendour. Unfortunately it still suffers from a past marked by the Napoleonic looting and years of neglect until 1861, when it became the property of the municipality of Chieri.
Still, the building is charming and inspires those who work within its ancient walls to rediscover harmony.