Some of Goya’s best frescoes are not in any museum. There are relics that are not in cathedrals and historical personalities that do not rest in palaces or cemeteries.
Much of the history of Madrid is scattered in different convents, churches and chapels of the city that are recognized by National Heritage. All of them are monuments of great artistic value and can generally be visited, so they are an alternative for those looking for a different cultural visit to the Royal Palace, the Monastery of El Escorial or the Palace of Aranjuez.
Patrimonio Nacional manages a large collection of palaces, monasteries, convents, gardens, forests, works of art, archives and libraries of great historical, artistic and cultural value. Not in vain, it is the public institution in charge of conserving, administering and publicizing the assets that historically belonged to the Spanish Crown and are now owned by the State.
Most of the National Heritage buildings were built between the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries and are usually located in central areas of Madrid. Our kings have passed through them and great painters, architects and sculptors have also left their artistic legacy.
Descalzas Reales Monastery
In the heart of Madrid, a few meters from the Gran Vía, we find the Monastery of the Descalzas Reales. It was founded in 1559 by Juana of Austria, daughter of Emperor Charles V, to house Franciscan Poor Clare nuns. Their most characteristic shoes, simple sandals, are the ones that give the building its name, as they are also known as Descalzas Reales.
Although its façade is sober, this monastery houses paintings by Titian and Zurbaran, pictures, cribs, reliquaries and even tapestries on Rubens cartoons.
Location: plaza de las Descalzas Reales, 3
Price: from 8 €.
Royal Monastery of the Encarnación
Inspired by the Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales, Margarita of Austria (daughter-in-law of Juana of Austria) decided to found a convent of Augustinian Recollect nuns in 1611. The building was constructed by Juan Gómez de Mora, royal architect and author of the Plaza Mayor of Madrid.
The Royal Monastery of the Incarnation preserves pictorial and sculptural ensembles with works by Lucas Jordan, Juan Van der Hammen, Vicente Carducho, Gregorio Fernandez and Pedro de Mena. It also highlights its reliquary, an exceptional room that houses 700 pieces with relics from different parts of Europe and reflects the alliances of Spain with other countries.
Location: Plaza de la Encarnación, 1
Price: from 8 €.
Hermitage of San Antonio de La Florida
Although this small church is temporarily closed for construction, it is very famous for housing magnificent frescoes by Francisco de Goya, one of the great Spanish painters of the 18th century. It is dedicated to San Antonio de Padua, to whom the people of Madrid have a great devotion and even dedicate a pilgrimage.
Aware of its importance, Goya painted the miracle of St. Anthony of Padua on the main dome and placed the inhabitants of Madrid themselves as witnesses. Such is the link of the painter with this hermitage that his remains rest in it.
Location: glorieta de San Antonio de la Florida, 5
Royal Monastery of Santa Isabel
Very close to Atocha is this monastery that served as a convent of Augustinian nuns and as a school for the daughters of those who served in the Royal House.
Its architect was Juan Gómez de Mora and for a long time it housed valuable works of art such as a main altarpiece by Sebastián Benavente and an Inmaculada by José Ribera. Painters such as Mateo Cerezo, Claudio Coello and Benito Manuel also left part of their work there, but much of it was lost during the Civil War.
Some of these restored paintings are still preserved, as well as others that were acquired later, among which the paintings of Salvador Maella and Vicente Carducho stand out.
Location: Calle de Santa Isabel, 48
Access to the temple is only possible during hours of worship.
Royal Basilica of Atocha
This sanctuary is closely linked to the history of Madrid: it has been the scene of many rites and ceremonies related to the monarchy. Since Philip II proclaimed the Virgin of Atocha as patron saint of the city, a great devotion to her has developed and continues to this day.
The basilica was designed by Francisco de Mora and his nephew Juan Gómez de Mora. Of Renaissance style and with Baroque influences, it contains significant works of art by artists such as Bartolomé Carducho, Pompeo Leoni, Francisco Rizzi, Juan Carreño de Miranda, Luca Giordano and Juan Pascual de Mena.
Location: Avenida de la Ciudad de Barcelona, 1.
Price: free admission
Pantheon of Spain
Located in the cloister of the Basilica of Our Lady of Atocha, the Pantheon of Spain is dedicated to remember the representatives of democracy in Spain. It was previously called “Pantheon of Illustrious Men” and also includes relevant personalities in democratic coexistence, peace and Human Rights.
María Cristina de Habsburgo was the driving force behind this project, which offers an x-ray of Spain’s democratic history. In this Pantheon you can visit the mausoleums of famous figures such as Sagasta, Cánovas del Castillo, Dato, Ríos Rosas, Canalejas or Gutiérrez de la Concha.
Location: Julián Gayarre Street, 3
Price: Free admission
Royal Convent of San Pascual (Aranjuez)
Outside the center of Madrid, in Aranjuez, we find this convent created by Carlos III. It was designed by the architect Marcelo Frontón at the end of the 18th century and the paintings stand out especially.
Its main altar is decorated with a picture of St. Paschal, painted by Raphael Mengs, who became the chamber painter of Charles III. In addition, the convent also housed paintings by Francisco Bayeu and Mariano Salvador Maella that were lost during the Civil War.
Location: Calle del Rey, 75, Aranjuez.
Price: free admission