From a stereoscopic photograph by Eduard Royo, undated (early 20th century?)
Arxiu Fotogràfic Centre Excursionista de Catalunya
The convent of the Minims in Cervera had previously been the second house of the Franciscans. In 1465, the Friars Minor saw their first establishment, located outside the city walls, destroyed as a result of the Catalan Civil War. They then moved into the city and settled at the Hospital of Castelltort, where they built a new convent dedicated to Sant Francesc. In 1567, this convent passed into the hands of the Observants, although they never occupied it, having already constructed the convent of Santa Maria de Jesús outside the city walls, on the site of the former Franciscan house.
The convent of the Minims (14) next to the University (13)
Detail of the map of the Ciutat de Cervera,
published in the Geografia General de Catalunya (1908-18)
In 1592, the Observants ceded this second Franciscan house to the Minims, who established their convent there, dedicated to Sant Francesc de Paula. They were also granted the former monastery of Santa Clara, which had been abandoned and no longer housed a community, along with several areas of the old Hospital of Castelltort. A new church was built, and the entire complex was remodelled due to the construction of the new University, which would stand next to the convent. The Minims remained there until the Ecclesiastical Confiscations, when they were expelled. Once the community had been dissolved, the church continued to serve its purpose, while the convent was repurposed as a school. The building was demolished in 1936, during the Civil War.
Founder of the Order of the Minims
Church of Sant Antoni de Cervera
- BARRAQUER Y ROVIRALTA, Cayetano (1906). Las casas de religiosos en Cataluña durante el primer tercio del siglo XIX. Vol. 2. Barcelona: Imp. Fco. J. Altés
- MONTOYA, Lucas de (1619). Coronica general de la orden de los mínimos de S. Francisco de Paula. Madrid: B. De Guzman
- SANAHUJA, Pedro (1959). Historia de la seráfica provincia de Cataluña. Barcelona: Ed. Seráfica
The convent no longer exists; it was located next to the University