DESCALZAS REALES, History
- Audio File length: 2.59
- Author: STEFANO ZUFFI E DAVIDE TORTORELLA
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Language: English / USA
Hi, I'm Alyson, your personal guide. Together with MyWoWo, I'd like to welcome you to one of the wonders of the world.
Today I'll accompany you through the Descalzas Reales Monastery.
This monastery is one of the most magnificent monuments in Madrid!
Just a short distance from Puerta del Sol, the Monasterio de las Descalzas Reales is part convent, part museum, and partly a place of power. But above all, it's the monument of Madrid that best expresses the real sense of the "siglo de oro", or the Spanish golden age of art and culture.
This convent of cloistered nuns was founded shortly after the middle of the 16th century by Giovanna of Austria, the daughter of Emperor Charles V, which is why it has always been preferred by the royal family and has welcomed the daughters of important aristocratic families for centuries. When these girls would take their vows, they would leave the monastery generous donations, land holdings, and artwork as "dowry"....