
Upper Choir
Sala
This rectangular-shaped choir features a series of niches for sculptures or reliquaries, and at the back, there is an altar in the neoclassical style. Above the grille, which stretches from wall to wall under the main arch, is a large wooden latticework screen carved in a "fan" shape that fills the half circle. It was common for such lattice screens to be made of wrought iron or even to have silver reliefs. Generally, a large canvas would cover the half circle with an oil painting, with the latticework on either side. In this convent, there was a simpler grille than the one in the lower choir, but it was still covered with fabric panels that allowed the nuns to see the mass from inside.
The choirs were an essential part of the temples of nuns: the convent's very life began in these spaces. The Divine Office was started in the upper choir with prayers at the first hour of the day. The nuns, in community, would arrange themselves in chairs or benches placed around the perimeter. Throughout the day, they would return to this space to continue their prayers in accordance with the liturgy of the hours.
