Experts' Choice Award Monasterio De Las Descalzas Reales
What the experts agree on
A austere 16th-century convent housing an exceptional collection of religious masterworks by Zurbarán, Bruegel, and Rubens. Its forbidding exterior conceals sumptuous art inside—a striking contrast that makes this Madrid gem unforgettable.
“Its plain, brick-and-stone facade hides paintings by Francisco de Zurbarán, Titian, and Pieter Brueghel the Elder.”
– Fodor's
Frommer's "In the mid-16th century, aristocratic women -- either disappointed in love or "wanting to be the bride of Christ" -- stole away to this convent to take the veil." Full review
Lonely Planet "The grim, prisonlike walls of this one-time palace keep modern Madrid at bay and offer no hint that behind the sober plateresque facade lies a sumptuous stronghold of the faith." Full review
Travel + Leisure "This collection of fantastic, if occasionally brutally themed, religious art, including pieces by Peter Paul Rubens, is in an appropriately creaky and forbidding 16th-century working convent." Full review
Time Out "The convent of the Descalzas Reales ('Royal Barefoot Nuns') is the most complete 16th-century building in Madrid and still houses a cloistered community. It was originally built as a..." Full review
National Geographic
