Remarks
This is an astonishing contrast: two minutes from the busy Gran Via and its incessant traffic noise, you are suddenly transported to the middle of the 16C in this convent which Joanna of Austria, daughter of Charles V, founded in the palace where she was born. From then on and for two centuries, this monastery of the Order of St. Clare welcomed aristocratic ladies wishing to retire from the world and the institution profited from it, as visiting families were sure to keep an eye on the salvation of their souls by leaving a few gifts, making it an important museum of religious art today.
A sumptuous main staircase, decorated with frescoes by Claudio Coello, sets the tone from the start. It leads to sumptuously decorated chapels where you cannot fail to note the recumbent Christ by Gaspar Becerra.
The former dormitory of the community, where 10 magnificent 17Ctapestries based on cartoons by Rubens are displayed, is not to be missed. Taking the rooms at random, as well as royal portraits, you will come across canvases by Murillo, Titian, Brueghel the Elder, Rubens, Saint Francis by Zurbaran, statues by Pedro Mena and Gregorio Hernandez and, in the reliquary room, a large number of precious and delicately engraved reliquaries and caskets. .
When you leave this haven of peace, away from the troubles of the world, the busy streets will certainly have a strange effect on you!