Igreja e Convento de Santa Clara do Desterro, Franciscan monastery and church in Salvador, Brazil

The Igreja e Convento de Santa Clara do Desterro is a Franciscan monastery and church in Salvador featuring two cloisters, a watchtower, and a bulbous bell tower built in the early 18th century. The complex forms a unified ensemble of religious buildings that reflects the architectural style of its era.

The Câmara of Salvador and noble families petitioned the Portuguese Crown in 1664 for a female monastery in Brazil, since daughters destined for religious life had to enter Portuguese houses. Four Urbanist Poor Clares from the Monastery of Évora arrived on 29 April 1677 and stayed aboard ship until the wall of the first convent was finished. Construction of the present building began in 1681 and ended in 1726; by 1704 it housed eighty nuns, and until 1744 it was the only recognised female monastery in the colony.

The complex preserves the parlor where families spoke with the nuns through a small grilled window, reflecting the order's strict enclosure. This architectural solution shows how the community maintained its religious seclusion while staying connected to visitors.

The church and convent are not open to the public and cannot be visited; the complex is seen only from the street. It lies in the Desterro district, a few metres from the Campo da Pólvora metro station and next to the Church of the Blessed Sacrament and Saint Anne. The surrounding area is a dense residential neighbourhood.

The cell where Madre Vitória da Encarnação died is kept in the convent, with a skull in a glass case that may be hers or her father's. She died in 1715 with a reputation for sanctity, and with Madre Maria da Soledade and Madre Margarida da Coluna she forms the "Três santas do Desterro".