PhD Program in Historical studies
A foundation of Princess Juana: the Monastery of the Descalzas Reales
The Descalzas Reales Monastery (Monastery of the Discalsed Royals) is the oldest of this itinerary, and is currently the best known and most visited of Madrid. Located next to the Alcázar, it was an ancient palace of the fifteenth century that was converted into a monastery for prayer and meditation by Princess Juana of AustriaJuana de Austria was born in 1535, the youngest daughter of Charles V. She was a widow of Prince John of Portugal and returned to Castile, leaving her son Sebastian in Portugal. In Valladolid she served as regent when her brother, Philip II, departed for England and the Netherlands. Released from the obligations of government, she focused on the foundation of the convent of the Descalzas Reales on the initiative of her confessor, the Jesuit Francisco de Borja. She then lived there until her death in 1573., the daughter of Charles V, in 1557. Juana herself was born precisely in this old building. In 1559 the community of Discalsed Franciscan nunsThey are a community of female religious who follow the rules of the reform of Saint Colette, of French origin. The first convent in Spain was that of Gandía, under the patronage of the Borja family, the dukes of Gandía. Most of the women of this noble family professed in the convent. From there, the Franciscan nuns moved to Madrid for the foundation of the convent of the Descalzas Reales. from Gandia came to give new life to the royal monastery. It was converted into an important center of power in the late sixteenth century and throughout the seventeenth century, especially when Empress Maria of HabsburgThe daughter of Charles V and Philip II ‘s sister, Mary of Habsburg (1528-1603) was the Empress of the Holy Roman Empire as the wife of his cousin Maximilian II. The mother of sixteen children, including the emperors Rudolf II and Matthias, she returned to Spain after her husband’s death (which occurred in 1576). She lived the last part of her life in the convent of the Descalzas Reales in Madrid, however, exerting a great influence on his brother Philip II and her grandson Philip III. and her daughter, Sister Margarita de la CruzThe daughter of the Emperor Maximilian II and Mary of Habsburg, at the age of eighteen she accompanied his widowed mother to Madrid, where she would live until her death in the convent of the Descalzas Reales. There she took her vows as a discalsed Franciscan in 1585. Several times the popes tried to appoint her prioress of the convent, but she always refused. She maintained contact with her brothers in the Empire and with several popes and outstanding cardinals. She exerted great influence on the religious life of Philip IV. She died in 1633., took vows in the monastery and lived there for the rest of their lives. At the beginning of the seventeenth century, Queen Margaret of HabsburgMargaret of Habsburg (1584-1611) was the daughter of Charles II of Styria, the third son of Emperor Ferdinand I. She was married by proxy in Ferrara with Philip III of Spain, in 1599. She died soon after giving birth to her eighth child. Among his heirs were the future Philip IV of Spain, the infantes Carlos and Fernando, the future queen of France Anne of Austria and the future empress Maria Anna von Habsburg. spent most of her time in the convent with her aunt (the Empress) and her cousin (Margarita de la Cruz). Although it was a cloistered convent, the women who lived there enjoyed a certain freedom, given their origin, granted by the popes, to receive visits.
From the artistic point of view, the most impressive element of the Descalzas Reales Monastery is its main staircase, in full Baroque style. The walls and ceiling are covered with murals depicting a cloister with gardens and statues. The royal balcony deserves special mention which boasts a wall painting depicting the family of Philip IV overlooking a balcony, a work by Antonio de Pereda dating back to the mid-seventeenth century. The cloister as well is as a place of great artistic value for its seven chapels with altars, images and devotional jewelry from the Baroque period. The floors of the convent retain their original structure in tiles (azulejos) from Talavera de la ReinaIs a type of ceramic which is made in the city of Talavera de la Reina (Toledo). It is manufactured from clay extracted from the Tagus river and decorated with various kinds of glazes. From the time of Philip II, the glazed ceramics in white and blue were used for the walls of numerous monasteries and palaces, including the Escorial, and for many ornamental objects. It is the most famous ceramics in Spain and the economy of its city of origin is based largely on the sale of such material. in the seventeenth century. Two rooms in particular deserve to be mentioned: on the one hand the Salón de Tapices, with the series of Flemish tapestries El Triunfo de la Eucaristía (the Triumph of the Eucharist) that was given to the nuns by Infanta Isabel Clara Eugenia and whose design was made by Pieter Paul Rubens; the other is the Salón de Reyes, which houses one of the finest collections of portraits of the royal family, with Philip II, Philip III and Philip IV, painted by Juan Pantoja de la CruzJuan Pantoja de la Cruz (1553-1608) was a painter who specialized in court portraits. A disciple of Alonso Sánchez Coello, he became official Court portrait painter at the beginning of the reign of Philip III (1598). He also devoted himself to some religious works, such as the Nacimiento de la Virgen (Birth of the Virgin), now preserved in the Museo del Prado. His most famous works are nonetheless portraits, including those of Philip II (now in the monastery of El Escorial), and of Margaret of Austria (now in the Museo del Prado)., Claudio Coello, Rubens and other artists.