Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales, Madrid
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Madrid's Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales (Convent of the Royal Discalced Nuns) is a Hapsburg monastery that is now a fascinating museum.
The convent was founded in 1559 by Joan of Austria, whose daughter hid away here rather than endure marriage to Felipe II.
Shortly after the monastery's founding, enough aristocratic women had come to take the veil - bringing their dowry with them - that it became one of the richest convents around. The valuable dowries included treasures of precious metals, priceless paintings, and even religious relics.
By the mid-20th century, however, the Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales sheltered mostly poor women. It still contained a priceless collection of art treasures, but the sisters were forbidden to auction anything. The nuns were literally starving.
The state intervened in the situation, and the pope granted special dispensation to open the convent as a museum in 1960. In 1985, the European Council rated it "Museum of the Year" and today the public can look behind the walls of what had been a mysterious presence on one of the most beautiful squares in Old Madrid.
In the Reliquary are the noblewomen's dowries, one of which is said to contain bits of wood from the True Cross; another, some of the bones of St. Sebastian.
The most valuable painting is Titian's Caesar's Money. The Flemish Hall shelters other fine works, including paintings by Hans de Beken and Breughel the Elder. All of the tapestries were based on Rubens's cartoons, displaying his chubby matrons.
Although the convent now functions mainly as a museum, a handful of nuns still live here, cultivating their own vegetables in the garden.
Quick Facts
| Address: | Plaza de las Descalzas Reales s/n, Madrid, Spain |
| Phone: | 91-542-00-59 |
| Directions: | From Plaza del Callao, off the Gran Vía, walk down Postigo de San Martín to Plaza de las Descalzas Reales; the convent is on the left |
| Bus: | 1, 2, 5, 20, 46, 52, 53, 74, M1, M2, M3, or M5 |
| Hours: | Sat and Tues-Thurs 10:30am-12:30pm and 3-5:45pm; Fri 10:30am-12:30pm; Sun 11am-1:15pm |
| Cost: | 4.80€ adults, 2.40€ children |
| Tours: | A guided tour is required to see the exhibits, but is in Spanish only. |
Main source: Frommer's Madrid, 1st ed.
