Madrid - Real Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales

The church and convent of the Descalzas Reales are situated on the Plaza de las Descalzas Reales near the busy Puerta del Sol not far from the Gran Vía. They are housed in a Renaissance palace which originally belonged to Charles V's Treasurer Alonso Gutiérrez.

The Order of the Descalzas Reales (royal barefoot ladies) was founded in 1554 in the house of her birth by Princess Juana, daughter of King Charles V. She had married Juan Manuel, heir to the Portuguese throne, but on being prematurely widowed had returned to Madrid. The necessary alterations were carried out between 1556 and 1564 by Antonio Sillero and Juan Bautista de Toledo. The majestic facade, in the traditional Madrid combination of red-brick and granite, is one of the few examples of 16th C. architecture which have been preserved in the city. The convent is now lived in once again and since 1986 has been partially open to the public. The interior is notable for the richness of the decoration and the fine works of art which it contains. Visitors feel themselves transported into the sumptuous world of the Renaissance princes.