Gardens in the discalced Carmelite order:sequence of atmospheres

Abstract

The garden, as a contained and controlled physical space, is a paradigmatic example of how artefact and landscape can meet, as a result of establishing a close connection between human beings and nature. This connection is taken to the extreme in the context of the Discalced Carmelite Order, in particular by the contemplative cloistered nuns who inhabit hermitage-like monasteries. Based on the exemplary case of the Convent of Saint Joseph in Avila — the first conventual foundation realised by Saint Teresa of Jesus in 1562 — the first chapter of this thesis aims to establish the importance of the garden in the rule of the Discalced Carmelite Order, in the architecture of its convents and in the daily life of its nuns. The second part of this study focuses on the perception of the gardens of this order, understood as a complex articulation of sensory elements. The third and last part explores a hypothesis of the evolution of the convent typology of this religious order, assuming the garden as a primary element in the definition of architectural space.