The Convent of Las Descalzas Reales began as a royal palace: Juana of Austria transformed the place where she was born into a Poor Clare convent. The active religious community gives the building a continuing sacred purpose alongside its royal and artistic history.
Guide preview
Las Descalzas Reales carries two histories in one building. Before it became a convent, the site was a royal palace where Juana of Austria was born. In 1559 she established a Poor Clare community here, and nuns arrived that same year.
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Quick facts
- Juana of Austria converted her birthplace palace into a Poor Clare convent.
- The nuns arrived in 1559.
- The monastery remains an active place of worship.
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