Capuchinas Convent

This is the convent of Nuestra Señora del Pilar de Zaragoza, known to everyone as Capuchinas. It opened in 1736 for a group of Capuchin nuns who arrived from Madrid, and its architect was Diego de Porres, the great builder of 18th-century Antigua.

The Capuchins were different from the other orders in the city. They asked no dowry to enter, and by rule there could never be more than twenty-eight nuns. They lived in strict poverty, slept on boards and spoke to the outside world only through a wooden turnstile.

What makes this place unique is at the back: the Tower of Retreat. It is a circular building with eighteen identical cells arranged around a round courtyard. Each cell had its own window, niche and a small drain. Some believe it was the space for retreat and prayer; others, the place where sick nuns were cared for.

Beneath the tower is a circular basement with extraordinary acoustics. If you are inside, try whispering next to the wall: the sound travels along it to the other side.

The convent withstood the 1773 earthquakes better than almost any building in the city, but the nuns were forced to move to the new capital. It remained abandoned for almost two centuries until its restoration in the mid-20th century.

In the 3D view you can walk around the whole tower, see the circular courtyard from above and compare its current state with the convent around 1740.