Santa Chiara Monastery, Medieval monastery in central Genoa, Italy

Santa Chiara Monastery is a Catholic monastic complex with its church on salita Superiore della Noce in the San Martino district of Genoa, near the parish church of San Martino d'Albaro. Founded in 1299 as San Nicolò de Hirchis, it was enlarged in 1525 and later renovated; the complex now serves as a public venue for conferences and concerts.

Construction of the monastery began in 1299 when Genoa was establishing itself as a maritime republic and Mediterranean trade hub. The building has served continuously as a center for religious life through the centuries.

The monastery was founded in 1299 as San Nicolò de Hirchis; Cistercian nuns lived here until the end of the 15th century, when the Clarisses took over and stayed, with interruptions for wars and 19th-century suppression decrees, until 21 November 1999, exactly seven hundred years after the foundation, when the last five nuns left. The adjacent church, now used for conferences and concerts, holds frescoes by Domenico Fiasella and paintings by Luca Cambiaso, Giovanni Battista Carlone, Giovanni Agostino Ratti, Giuseppe Palmieri and Francesco Costa.

The complex stands in salita Superiore della Noce in San Martino, next to the parish church of San Martino d'Albaro, uphill from the city centre. The former church now serves as a hall for conferences and concerts, so check the programme before planning a visit.

The last five Clarisse nuns left on 21 November 1999, exactly seven hundred years after the 1299 foundation. The Cistercian nuns who lived there first were expelled after electing an abbess not accepted by the Camilla family, the founder's household.