PhD Program in Historical studies
The project of Queen Margaret: the Monastery of the Encarnación
A few metres from the Alcázar and communicating with it through an underground passage, was the Royal Monastery of the Encarnación of the Order of Augustinian Recollects, founded by 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.. The intention of the sovereign in giving life to a convent so close to the Palace was to bring the spirituality she practiced to her criados (servants) and courtiers. But also in this case, Margaret would not see completion of the convent in 1616, due to her untimely death in October 1611. However, there is no doubt that, with this foundation, the queen strengthened the spirituality of the court during the second half of the reign of Philip III and throughout the reign of her son, Philip IV. The convent in fact became the most important place for the women of the court, and for those belonging to the royal family, and for the other aristocrats, whose families participated in the same spirituality.
The project of the foundation of the Monastery of the Encarnación was born during the years when the court moved to Valladolid (1601-1606), where the queen had the opportunity to learn about Recollect spirituality through Mariana de San JoséThis Augustinian religious was born in Alba de Tormes and met Saint Teresa of Avila when she was still a child. Before founding the convent of the Encarnación in Madrid at the behest of Queen Margaret, Mariana de San José had already founded other convents of the Augustinian Recollects such as those of Eibar (1603), Medina del Campo (1604), Valladolid (1606) and Palencia (1610)., who was the first prioress of the Monastery of the Encarnación. The actual design of the building was designed by the architect Juan Gómez de Mora. The complex has the shape of a large rectangle in the center of which the church is situated. The monastery is made of stone and brick, while the facade is built of stone, with a portico with three arches which presents the coasts of arms of the founding monarchs. As in the case of the Monastery of Descalzas Reales, the interior is decorated with 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.. There are two rooms dedicated to painting in the monastery: one is the Sala de pintura and the other is the Salón de Reyes, in both of which portraits of the royal family are preserved. Another area worth mentioning is the Sala de esculturas, which houses a number of Cristos by Gregorio Fernández. Finally, note the reliquary of the Encarnación, built on the express wish of the Habsburgs, with beautiful wooden cabinets in which a collection of the most important relics of Spain, is preserved, with pieces from throughout Europe during the seventeenth century.