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 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.
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Must-see attractions nearby:
Real Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales
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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.
Hours
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Open | Closed | 10:30 | 10:30 | 10:30 | 10:30 | 10:30 | 11:00 |
| Close | 12:45 | 12:45 | 12:45 | 12:45 | 12:45 | 13:45 | |
| Open | 16:00 | 16:00 | 16:00 | 16:00 | 16:00 | 16:00 | |
| Close | 17:45 | 17:45 | 17:45 | 17:45 | 17:45 | 17:45 |
Related Attractions
Real Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales - Church
The two storied main front of the church is incorporated into the walls of the convent building. The interior was redesigned in the Classical style by Villanueva in the 18th C. The burial chapel of Juana is to be found along the wall adjoining the presbytery. It was built by Giacomo da Trezzo in 1574 and contains a marble statue by Pompeo Leoni.
Real Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales - Former Nuns' Dormitory
The contemporary taste for tapestries finds expression in the Gran Sala de Tapices, formerly the nuns' sleeping quarters. It contains a large part of the unique series of 14 Brussels tapestries made for Philip II's daughter the Infanta Isabel Clara Eugenia, known as "The Triumph of the Eucharist". It was commissioned in Brussels and woven between 1625 and 1628 after cartoons by Rubens.
Real Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales - Museum
A doorway to the left of the church of Descalzas Reales in Madrid leads through to the convent itself. The visitor will first come into a hall where the conventual carriage was stored. The wooden roof dates from 1540. A Plateresque door leads into the cloister.
The wide staircase in the northern part of the cloister belongs to the oldest section of the convent. In 1684 it was decorated in Baroque style at the expense of Anna Dorothea, daughter of the German Emperor Rudolf II. One wall of the staircase has a "Calvary" by Antonio de Pereda; the other has ornamental frescoes in the Italian manner by Colonna and Mitelli, in which Philip IV and his family look down on the spectator as if from a balcony. The portraits are ascribed to Claudio Coello who with Antonio de Pereda was responsible for all the paintwork.
The passageway on the upper floor contains many altars and chapels endowed by occupants of the convent and their families.
In the various halls, rooms and corridors the visitor encounters the Habsburgs at every step. Doña Juana, the foundress, and the Empress María, widow of the Emperor Maximilián, collected the portraits of their relatives which hang in the Salón de Reyes and the Candilón.
The wide staircase in the northern part of the cloister belongs to the oldest section of the convent. In 1684 it was decorated in Baroque style at the expense of Anna Dorothea, daughter of the German Emperor Rudolf II. One wall of the staircase has a "Calvary" by Antonio de Pereda; the other has ornamental frescoes in the Italian manner by Colonna and Mitelli, in which Philip IV and his family look down on the spectator as if from a balcony. The portraits are ascribed to Claudio Coello who with Antonio de Pereda was responsible for all the paintwork.
The passageway on the upper floor contains many altars and chapels endowed by occupants of the convent and their families.
In the various halls, rooms and corridors the visitor encounters the Habsburgs at every step. Doña Juana, the foundress, and the Empress María, widow of the Emperor Maximilián, collected the portraits of their relatives which hang in the Salón de Reyes and the Candilón.
Real Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales - Museum Room
The pictures on display in the museum room are outstanding. These include a group of Flemish panel pictures belonging to Empress Isabella, wife of Charles V, works by masters such as Hans Memling, Adriaen Isenbrant, Dirk Bouts, Rogier van der Weyden and pictures by Spanish painters such as Francisco de Zurburán, Bartolomé Esteban Murillo and Jusepe Ribera. The "Penny Tax" by Titian and the "Worship of the Three Kings" by Pieter Brueghel the Elder are high points of this artistic collection.
