In 1232, a community of religious women settled in the north of Colmar, at a place called “sub tilia” or “unter den linden” (under the lime trees). Placed under the direction of the Dominicans, the convent expanded in the 13th century. The cloister was completed in 1289. Almost square, it comprises four Gothic galleries: fourteen arcades to the north and east, thirteen arcades to the south and west. The cloister serves as a link between the various buildings and the chapel. It is also a place of meditation, prayer and procession. Classified as a historical monument, the cloister now houses part of the Unterlinden Museum.