Guided tour of the Monastery of Las Descalzas Reales (607339)

What you can expect

Discover the Monastery of Las Descalzas Reales on this guided tour for small groups. Don't miss the opportunity to admire several works of art, including Flemish, Italian and Spanish paintings from the 16th and 17th centuries.

The convent was founded by Juana de Austria, the youngest daughter of Carlos V and sister of Felipe II. This mystical place is where she was born, lived, and is buried, along with Empress María and her daughter, Princess Margarita.

Admire the exquisite decoration inside the monastery, the frescoes on its main staircase attributed to Claudio Coello, the choir with its original stalls, where today the community gathers to pray, and the rich tapestries commissioned by Isabel Clara Eugenia based on the sketches by Pedro Pablo Rubens.

Learn from your guide about "el candilón", a room dedicated to the nuns' funeral wakes; when a religious sister died, the whole community used to gather in this room and watch over her body.