Convento de las Descalzas Reales

The grim plateresque walls of the Convento de las Descalzas Reales offer no hint that behind the facade lies a sumptuous stronghold of the faith. Founded in 1559 by Juana of Austria, the widowed daughter of the Spanish king Carlos I, the convent quickly became one of Spain’s richest religious houses thanks to gifts from Juana’s noble friends. On the obligatory guided tour you’ll see a gaudily frescoed Renaissance stairway, a number of extraordinary tapestries based on works by Rubens, and a wonderful painting entitled The Voyage of the 11,000 Virgins. Some 33 nuns still live here and there are 33 chapels dotted around the convent.