Franciscan nuns selling confectionary in the centre of Murcia at Obrador Convento de San Antonio

Traditional sweets and pastries plus a wide range of other products right next to Murcia cathedral

The nuns of the Franciscan convent of San Antonio in Algezares, which lies just beneath the sanctuary of the Virgen de la Fuensanta in the mountains to the south-east of the city of Murcia, are rightly famed for the quality of the sweets and confectionary they make, and in an effort to make their home-made treats available to a wider public have opened commercial premises in the centre of the regional capital.

For years the nuns have been running a small outlet called “Santoñas” in Algezares, but now they have moved into the pedestrian shopping streets of the city of Murcia very close to the cathedral, in Calle Zarandona. The new store is called “Obrador Convento de San Antonio”, re-adopting the original name of the initiative which underlines the Order’s commitment to working for the general social good, according to Sister Eva de Jesús Magaña, Mother Superior of the Convento de San Antonio.

Traditional favourites proving popular at the Obrador Convento de San Antonio include "Murciatone" (an adaptation of panettone), las magdalenas and a wide range of tempting goodies, and as they move with the times the nuns also offer vegan and sugar-free alternatives. Sister Eva reports that her colleagues are excited by this latest project and have even added savoury dishes to their repertoire, including mini-pizzas, sandwiches and different types of “empanadilla”: all of them, of course, freshly made each morning and using natural products of the season from various parts of the Region of Murcia.

In addition, the store now doubles up as a coffee and tea shop (with a takeaway option), but amid all of this modernity the nuns themselves continue to produce the age-old dishes which have proved popular for generations, including the “tarta murciana” cakes which are often eaten on the public holiday of San José (19^th March), the “torrijas” of Easter Week and the Roscón cake which is ritually consumed throughout Spain to celebrate the arrival of the Three Kings on 6^th January.

The outlet also sells bracelets and rosary beads made at the Convento de Santa Verónica in Algezares and other items produced by the Carmelite nuns of the nearby Monasterio de la Encarnación: all three convents are located within a couple of hundred metres of each other just below the sanctuary of La Fuensanta, and close by is the Eremitorio de la Luz where the monks sell their very own chocolate!

Address: Calle Zarandona 5, 3004 Murcia (very close to the Cathedral)

Telephone: 868 129224

Website: www.oconventosanantonio.com (online shopping available)

Opening hours: Monday to Friday 8.30 to 20.00, Saturdays 9.00 to 20.00

In addition, the Obrador Convento San Antonio can be found in Algezares, opposite the tennis club beneath the sanctuary of La Fuensanta in the mountains outside the city of Murcia.

Address: Calle Ntra. Sra. de la Fuensanta 44, 30157 Algezares, Murcia

Opening hours: Monday to Saturday 9.30 to 14.00 and 17.00 to 21.00

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